Can the Pope Change Catholic Teaching?
Some people hope that Pope Francis will change the Church's teaching on contraception. He won't. He couldn't even if he wanted to — as Church history and Scriptures show. Part two of two.
Some people hope that Pope Francis will change the Church's teaching on contraception. He won't. He couldn't even if he wanted to — as Church history and Scriptures show. Part two of two.
The Catholic Church's teaching on contraception, common to all Christian denominations for 1900 years, is not arbitrary. It reflects a moral truth. And the Catholic Church can never revise it. Part one of two.
"The Language of Love" is Bishop Conley's pastoral letter on the sacrificial nature of love and on the destructive nature of contraception.
That Humanae Vitae and related Catholic teachings about sexual morality are laughingstocks in all the best places is not exactly news.
In his book Love and Responsibility John Paul II reflects not simply on why contraception is immoral, but even more, on how contraception actually can destroy the love between a husband and wife in marriage.
This paper considers some common difficulties with respect to Humanae Vitae and its teaching regarding family planning, especially with respect to its approval of NFP and its disapproval of all forms of direct contraception.
All human generations previous to our own, and all known human societies besides our own, have understood that sex had to be controlled; and they have therefore maintained in place moral and legal checks and sanctions aimed at insuring the necessary control of the powerful and unruly human sexual drive for the good of both society and the individuals in it. Our plan to liberate sex by means of contraception and sex education has now manifestly failed.
Twelve years ago this summer, Tina Turner belted out her song about love, asking, Whats love got to do, got to do with it? Whats love but a sweet old-fashioned notion? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? Her question is a fitting commentary on the current state of confusion over conjugal love and the resulting decline of marriage. But, no one, it seems, is willing to speak to the root causes of this decline.