A rare public dispute between top Vatican officials unfolded at the opening of a conference in Rome on Humanae Vitae, the 1968 encyclical reaffirming the Catholic Church’s opposition to artificial contraception. Jesuit Cardinal Luis Ladaria (pictured), the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical 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
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
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
Sex and religion are probably the two most talked about topics in the world. In Humanae Vitae we find them inextricably but harmoniously interwoven. As Humanae Vitae (on Human Life) was promulgated more than a year before my birth it is quite possible that I am a product of this most prophetic statement on marriage, Read more
A new documentary Sexual Revolution: 50 Years Since Humanae Vitae was shown in Rome in early October in conjunction with Blessed Paul VI’s canonisation. The NZ premiere of the documentary, sponsored by the Catholic Enquiry Centre, will be shown as part of the Family Banquet Conference next month. The documentary seeks to explain the fallout of Read more
Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae was publicly released on Monday, July 29, 1968. It reiterated the condemnation of artificial contraception for spouses. Many in the Catholic world had been hoping for a change in the papal teaching based on the newer approaches of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the call to change the Read more
A cabinet minister in Britain’s Conservative Party wants Catholic Church leaders to change Catholic teaching on birth control. Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, met with Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, and the head of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Read more
A month-long social media conversation on Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) began this week. The conversation, which will be facilitated by the United States Diocese of Arlington, is open to all. Its focus is on the encyclical which reaffirms artificial birth control is “intrinsically wrong”. People interested in participating can follow Read more