Pope Paul VI

Humanæ Vitæ

Pope Paul's most controversial decision occurred on July 24 1968, when in his encyclical Humanæ Vitæ, "Of Human Life", he rejected the recommendations of a commission established by John XXIII and reaffirmed the Catholic Church's disapproval of artificial birth control. His decision was unexpected, as many in the Catholic world expected the Church to accept with some reservations the technological advances that had produced the contraceptive pill. In subsequent decades, many baptised Catholics opted to use birth control in spite of church teaching. To its supporters, Humanæ Vitæ is seen as a valued and welcome reaffirming of the sanctity of human sexuality and the procreative act, unencumbered by a modern drift away from absolute to relative concepts of morality.

Related Topics:
July 24 - 1968 - Encyclical - Humanæ Vitæ - Birth control - Contraceptive pill

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A commission composed of bishops, theologians, and laity had been established for the purpose of reviewing the teaching on birth control. It was the commission's majority recommendation that the Church relax it's stance on birth control. Upon the receiving the commission's report, Pope Paul made the highly contraversial decision to disband the commission, and not only ignored their recommendations, but did exactly the opposite and with his Humanæ Vitæ encyclical reinforced the ban on birth control.

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The encyclical gained further significance as the Catholic faithful began to feel disenfranchised from the Church. Whereas in the past, the Vatican's historical conciliarism provided checks and balances on the Pope's authority, with Pope Paul VI's rejection and disbandment of the commission these checks and balances of the past were swept away. The Pope's authority in Church matters had became elevated to monarchical power.

Related Topics:
Conciliarism - Monarchical

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As public opinion seemed to turn against the Pope, it was the last encyclical of his papacy.

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To its many opponents, Humanæ Vitæ is seen as a calamity akin to Pope Pius IX's Syllabus of Errors, with the Church turning its back on technological advances that could help humanity deal with the problems of serial births and climbing birth rates, particularly in the Third World. External observers noted that many lay Catholics reacted by moving towards the more typically Protestant attitude that after listening to the Church's teaching, they could judge for themselves what was sinful and what was not.

Related Topics:
Syllabus of Errors - Third World - Protestant

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While Paul's successor, Pope John Paul I, in a meeting with United Nations population experts during his short reign, did give some indication that Humanæ Vitæ might be changed somewhat, Pope John Paul II unambiguously supported the encyclical.

Related Topics:
Pope John Paul I - United Nations - Pope John Paul II

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