Pope defends Humanae Vitae

For the Catholic Church, 1968 was characterised by, among other things, the publication of Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI. The main thrust of the encyclical was that the sexual marital act must always be open to life.

It therefore condemned the use of contraceptives in marriage as a means of birth control.

Unfortunately, the widespread negative reactions to the encyclical ignored its other important teaching about married love and responsible parenthood, such as the use of natural birth control or family planning - if there are reasonable grounds for spacing births."

Forty years on, Pope Benedict has come out strongly in favour of the 1968 encyclical. Speaking at a conference about the encyclical, he described it as "a gesture of courage" while admitting that its teachings "have been controversial and difficult for Catholics".

However he made it clear that "the truth expressed in Humanae Vitae does not change; in fact in light of recent scientific discoveries its teaching is becoming more current and is provoking reflection."

He said that the encyclical explained that married love is based on total self-giving between spouses which goes far beyond fleeting pleasures.

"How could such a love remain closed to the gift of life?," he asked rhetorically. The Pope added that the Christian concept of marriage respects the unity of the person in body and soul.

Denying this, he said means that the body is an object that can be bought or sold and in which "the exercise of sexuality is transferred into a drug that wants to subject the partner to one's own desires and interests. (Believers) can never allow the dominion of the technical to invalidate the quality of love and the sacredness of life." Procreation, he added, "is a key part of natural law that deserves universal respect. Any attempt to move away from this principle is destined to remain sterile and without a future."

He reminded his listeners that true love involves a sense of sacrifice which is part of a married couple's openness to life. "No mechanical technique can substitute the act of love that two spouses exchange as a sign of a greater mystery in which they are protagonists and co-participants in creation."

He admitted that the teaching expressed in Humanae Vitae is not easy.

However, he added that "it conforms to the fundamental structure through which life has always been transmitted from the creation of the world".

It is ironic that with the rampant use of artificial birth control society is now reaping the results and facing a decline of births that is reaching threatening proportions and is a much bigger problem than over-population.