Part IV: Paul VI, John Paul II and Building the “Culture of Life”

Birth Control and the Catholic Church

On July 25, 1968, on the feast of St. James the Apostle, Humanæ Vitæ was promulgated by Pope Paul VI.  It is a relatively short encyclical and speaks of the moral threats to holy matrimony, the Magisterium's response, pastoral principles, and catechesis on the meaning of human sexuality.  In continuity with the Church’s tradition, he affirmed his predecessors’ teaching that contraception and sterilization are intrinsically disordered practices and always contrary to the ends of holy matrimony. Unfortunately, there was a great deal of fallout over this encyclical —especially among faculties of theology in many universities and seminaries.  Men training to be priests were either told to “soft-pedal” this teaching or “just don’t go there.”  Lay persons were told “birth control is just a matter of conscience despite Church teaching against it.”  Because correct teaching on the right formation of conscience was neglected in the years directly following Vatican II, this is regrettably the approach many still take in the Church today.

[Soon to be Saint] John Paul II did much during his pontificate to build upon Humanæ Vitæ and made significant contributions of his own to furthering a holistic approach to the human person, and in particular, to human sexuality.  His very life showed the contrast between a “culture of death” and the “Culture of Life,” which energized the faithful around the world to have a better sense of what it means to be Pro-Life.  Being Pro-Life does not just mean we are against abortion.  It means we are against anything that offends against human and Christian decency.  In fact, being Pro-Life is not essentially about “what we’re against.”  It means imitating the Fiat – the “Yes” – of our Lady to the call to follow God’s will, to respond affirmatively to the universal call of holiness, and to proclaim the Gospel of Life in word and action.

The Gospel of Life is essentially the message of Jesus Christ — that He came to give us abundant life (John 10:10).  Therefore the message of life is essentially evangelical.  I want my Evangelical readers to reflect on some of the prophecies that Paul VI had in his encyclical: He predicted that if artificial contraception became widespread and accepted in society, there would be higher rates of infidelity, divorce, and abortion (for abortion is the Plan B of contraception); that many men (including married men) would lose respect for women and view them as objects for selfish pleasure; and that governments would promote and enforce contraception on the weakest members of society.  These atrocities have all come true.  While there may not necessarily be a direct causal relationship, it would be absurd to say that artificial contraception has not contributed to the demise of healthy, holy human sexuality during the last 50 years.

Thankfully, there is a “New Springtime” of lay faithful who are committed to living out God’s plan for holy matrimony.  John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” has provided a positive approach to sexual ethics.  Many practice Natural Family Planning (NFP) to space births when necessary in a way that respects marital goods and that helps spouses to communicate better and grow together.  For more information about NFP, I invite you to visit The Couple to Couple League website.  Please continue to reflect on the points I have covered the last few weeks and pray for the spread of the Gospel of Life!