Friday, March 29, AD 2024 8:23am

PopeWatch: Bye, Bye Humanae Vitae

Giving the papal stamp of approval to artificial contraception seems to be waiting in the wings at the Vatican:

 

 

Responsible parenthood can obligate a married couple to use artificial birth control, a recently appointed member of the Pontifical Academy for Life has argued, basing his theory on Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia.

Italian moral theologian Father Maurizio Chiodi said at a December 14 public lecture at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome that there are “circumstances — I refer to Amoris Laetitia, Chapter 8 — that precisely for the sake of responsibility, require contraception.”

Chapter 8 of the Pope’s 2016 document on the family has drawn controversy because of its differing interpretations on the issue of admitting some divorced and civilly “remarried” couples to Holy Communion.

When “natural methods are impossible or unfeasible, other forms of responsibility need to be found,” argued Fr. Chiodi in his lecture entitled: Re-reading Humanae Vitae (1968) in light of Amoris Laetitia (2016).

In such circumstances, he said, “an artificial method for the regulation of births could be recognized as an act of responsibility that is carried out, not in order to radically reject the gift of a child, but because in those situations responsibility calls the couple and the family to other forms of welcome and hospitality.”

The Italian professor’s comments come as the Church this year marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, which reaffirmed the Church’s ban on contraception. In his encyclical, Paul VI called artificial contraception “intrinsically wrong,” approved natural family planning, and upheld the Church’s teaching on conjugal love and responsible parenthood.

Chiodi’s lecture was the third in a series of talks being hosted this academic year by the Gregorian University’s faculty of social sciences and moral theology. The aim of the talks is to take a new and broad look at the encyclical “in the context of a time of change” and “more complex” situations.

Fr. Chiodi’s lecture also follows revelations that the Vatican quietly created a four-member commission with the Pope’s approval, in order to “promote a comprehensive and authoritative study” of Humanae Vitae to coincide with the anniversary. The move came after Pope Francis purged the Pontifical Academy for Life, filling it with new appointees (including Fr. Chiodi), some with dissenting views on Humanae Vitae. And they coincided with the Pope issuing on September 8 a papal decree replacing the John Paul II Institute with a new institute to carry forward the teaching of Amoris Laetitia.

 

Go here to read the rest.  The project to covert Catholicism into Catholicism Lite, indistinguishable from dying mainline Protestant sects, proceeds apace.

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Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 3:46am

Humanae Vitae went bye bye practically speaking the moment it was released by Pope Paul VI. Many Bishops protested (Protestanted it?) and it was never really preached.

Now, over 80-90% of Catholics practice artificial birth control. But despite the reality in actual practice the Church should not change the doctrine against contraception. Let us continue the hypocrisy that vice pays to virtue. May someday the Catholic Church will again be firmly Catholic.

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 3:47am

It seems Pope Francis and his cohorts in the Vatican are doing their damndest to turn the Church into a cheap imitation of Anglicanism.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 7:09am

Obama tried to “fundamentally transform” America. Seems as if PF is intent on doing same to Holy Mother Church.

America does not need to be “fundamentally transformed. The Church doesn’t either.

Seen elsewhere. Delirious Dems called President Trump’s SOTU divisive. True. It divided Americans and un-Americans. PF could be seen as similarly divisive for Catholics and un-Catholics. .

Art Deco
Art Deco
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 7:09am

Steve Skojec has likened Francis to a kamikaze pilot. Mr. Price is correct. Next move is God’s.

Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 7:45am

“Delirious Dems called President Trump’s SOTU divisive. True. It divided Americans and un-Americans.”-T. Shaw

Amen! My feelings exactly. Let them move to Canada. Good riddance.

Pope Francis is a sick individual. He is not well. He doesn’t understand his role in the Church Militant. I wonder if he believes he is the Christ?
Prayers will not cease for his conversion.

Foxfier
Admin
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 8:52am

Now, over 80-90% of Catholics practice artificial birth control.

Michael Dowd, remember that the guys who did the survey had to define periodic abstinence as a form of birth control, and totally ignore any “I was born Catholic” indicators, to get that number.

It’s bad, but they had to lie to get it THAT bad. Same way they have to lie and use such a broad definition of “pro-abortion” that The Catholic Church is defined as supporting abortion to get to the similar numbers of American women supporting abortion.

Always dig in to find *exactly* the question they used, and if they won’t provide it, they’re lying.

David
David
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 10:30am

Fr Chiodi “natural methods are impossible or unfeasible, other forms of responsibility need to be found,”
There are really only two components to FAM or NFP, they are:
1. Fertility Awareness.
2. Periodic Abstinence for serious reasons during the Fertile Period.
– Together they are as effective as any contraceptive method.
Personally I hate the terms natural and unnatural, it has nothing really to do with that but contraceptive and non contraceptive. Why is this expert using confusing terms of natural or unnatural. It has nothing to do with that! He (an expert!) is sowing confustion!!

Either Fr. Chiodi, like so many priests today, doesn’t understand that one can using science reliably determine the beginning and end of a fertile time, OR the thought of periodic abstinence is impossible.
Why do I think it’s the latter???

c matt
c matt
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 10:41am

HV itself seems to have had one questionable portion that does not sit right. Prior to HV, the ends of marriage were first, procreation, and second the unity of the spouses. There was a clear priority. HV put procreation and unity on the same plane (and arguably gives the nudge to unity by mentioning it first when they addressed together). See paragraph 12 of HV.

Mary De Voe
Thursday, February 1, AD 2018 1:27pm

Humanae Vitae is about sublimating our will to the will of the Creator, God. As procreators in mankind, persons, who are parents have an obligation to procreate newly begotten souls in the image of God in truth and beauty. Contraception is a lie. The vice of lust is not love, nor is it gentleness, nor is it benign. The vice of lust, all vices, degenerate a human being to monstrosity, selfishness even homicide. Why should any sovereign innocent human being be brought into the realm of satan?

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