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Doctrine and sources policy

Which Church documents we use, how every answer is cited and how we keep doctrine separate from opinion.

Last updated October 11, 2026

Church documents and an open Catechism on a desk, the sources every answer cites

Why we publish this policy

Couples come to us with questions they find hard to ask anyone. They deserve to know where every answer comes from. This page explains which sources we use, how the Ask with Sources assistant cites them and how to report a mistake.

The sources we use

Our library is built from the published text of these documents, each stored with its paragraph numbers and a link to the full text on vatican.va or usccb.org.

  • The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in particular the sacrament of matrimony (CCC 1601 to 1666), the sixth commandment (CCC 2331 to 2400) and the ninth commandment (CCC 2514 to 2533).
  • Papal documents, including Casti Connubii, Humanae Vitae, Familiaris Consortio and Amoris Laetitia.
  • The Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes 47 to 52 on marriage and the family.
  • Documents of the Holy See, including Persona Humana, Donum Vitae, Dignitas Personae and The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality.
  • Saint John Paul II, the general audiences known as the Theology of the Body.
  • The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including its teaching on Natural Family Planning and married love.

Three kinds of statements, always labeled

  • Church teaching, what the Catechism and the Magisterium state, quoted briefly with the exact reference, for example CCC 2362 or Humanae Vitae 12.
  • Theological opinion, where faithful moral theologians reason about questions the Church has not settled in detail. We say so plainly and do not present opinion as doctrine.
  • Medical information, about fertility, pain, postpartum recovery or desire. It is general education, and we point you to a doctor for your own situation.

How the assistant answers

  • It searches the verified library first and writes only from the passages it finds.
  • Every doctrinal statement carries a citation with the paragraph number and a link to the full text.
  • If no passage supports an answer, it says that our sources contain no specific teaching on the question and suggests asking a priest. It does not invent teaching.
  • It does not describe sexual acts explicitly, does not role play and does not create images.
  • Every answer ends with a reminder that the assistant is not a priest, confessor, doctor or therapist.

Quotations and copyright

We quote Church documents briefly, always with the reference and a link to the official publisher, and we encourage you to read the full text there.

Independence

CatholicSex is an independent educational service. It is not an official publication of the Church, does not carry an imprimatur and does not speak for any bishop or parish. Our experts are lay professionals and clergy who share the faith, and their profiles describe their training.

Reporting a mistake

If you believe an answer or lesson misstates Church teaching, write to [email protected] with the page or question and the reference you have in mind. We review every report against the sources and correct the library when we got it wrong.