A moral theologian whose views are at odds with Church teaching on the use of contraception in marriage has been appointed as one of 28 new consultors to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. CNA reports that Pope Francis has appointed Fr Maurizio Chiodi to the DDF. Chiodi is known for his view Read more
Catholic women and their views on sex, divorce and patriarchy show a generational divide, a recent Australian University of Newcastle study found. Older women want reform, but younger Catholic women are more conservative. They want the rules on sex, contraception and the priesthood to remain as they are. About the study The study surveyed 17,200 Read more
Every major religious tradition has one thing in common: They all highly encourage reproduction among their adherents. The Roman Catholic Church, however, stands out on this issue. While other religious traditions permit their members to use various types of birth control to manage the number of kids they have, the 1997 Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Read more
New research from the University of the Philippines Diliman has found the hormone doses in some common contraceptives could be lowered by as much as 92% and still be effective in preventing pregnancy. The results have raised hopes that people could one day take “the pill” without suffering as many side effects. Hormones in oral Read more
Could the Roman Catholic Church be ready to reconsider its prohibition of the use of contraception? The fact that prominent Catholic conservatives have felt the need to speak out against such a possibility gives some grounds for thinking that, within the Church itself, and under the protection of Pope Francis, a movement for change is Read more
Teen pregnancies in New Zealand are on the decline at present. Numbers giving birth have more than halved in the past decade. The past ten years has also seen a downward trend in abortions, according to the latest Abortion Services Aotearoa New Zealand annual report . The stats Newly released figures from Stats NZ on Read more
A prominent Vatican theologian says Catholic teaching on contraception is open for “theological discussion, within the Church, and even the possibility of dissent”. Father Maurizio Chiodi (pictured) made the comments in an interview conducted by Fabrizio Mastrofini, the communications and social media manager of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Chiodi, who has been a member Read more
The Vatican’s top body on life issues has caused a stir for suggesting that one of the church’s most influential and controversial magisterial documents, Humanae Vitae, is not covered by papal infallibility. Over the weekend, a tweet sent from the Pontifical Academy for Life’s official Twitter account suggested that St Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Read more
“Could the Church teaching on contraception change?” a journalist asked Pope Francis on Saturday during his return flight to Rome from Canada. “This is very timely,” Francis replied. “But know that dogma, morality, is always in a path of development, but development in the same direction.” Tradition can really be preserved and handed down only Read more
Pope John Paul I seems to have favoured artificial contraception in some cases, a document he drafted in 1967 suggests. The man who would become pope – then Bishop Albino Luciani – prepared the document on contraception on behalf of the bishops of Italy’s Triveneto region. It was then was given to St Paul VI Read more