Q. 1. Can you explain to me the meaning of the term "ratum et consummatum" in relationship to the Sacrament of Marriage?

A. 1. A valid marriage between two baptized persons is called "ratum et consummatum" when the spouses have consummated the marriage through a natural sexual act. According to Canon Law, unnatural sexual acts do not constitute a valid consummation (natural sexual act).

Canon Law # 1061 §1. "A valid marriage between the baptized is called ratum tantum if it has not been consummated; it is called ratum et consummatum if the spouses have performed between themselves in a human fashion a conjugal act which is suitable in itself for the procreation of offspring, to which marriage is ordered by its nature and by which the spouses become one flesh."