Natural family planning and the Church’s teaching – harmony or contradiction?

Natural family planning has long sparked heated debates because it touches the very heart of Catholic sexual morality. On one hand, the Church teaches that every marital act must remain open to life, which for many means that avoiding intercourse during fertile days is a form of hidden contraception. Critics even argue that NFP is the “Catholic version of the condom” – playing with God and trying to cheat nature. On the other hand, official teaching, especially the encyclical Humanae vitae, emphasizes that NFP is not a sin because it uses neither artificial barriers nor chemicals, but is based on self-control and responsibility. So are natural methods a faith-consistent way of family planning, or a contradiction hidden under the guise of a theological compromise?