Vatican Condemns Contraception, Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage

Breaking News.ie ^ | 6/6/06

[areafiftyone]

The Vatican today issued a sweeping condemnation of contraception, abortion, in-vitro fertilisation and same-sex marriage, declaring that the traditional family has never been so threatened as in today’s world.

The document was issued by the Pontifical Council for the Family, whose head, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, is a strong opponent of the use of condoms under any circumstances.

However, the document did not mention an ongoing debate within the Vatican on whether the Roman Catholic Church could permit condoms to battle Aids when one partner in a marriage had the virus.

It reaffirmed the famous 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” that stated the Vatican’s opposition to contraception.

Since then, it said, couples “have been limiting themselves to one, or maximum two children”.

“Never before in history has human procreation, and therefore the family, which is its natural place, been so threatened as in today’s culture,” said the 57-page document.

[sinkspur]

We can all think of rare circumstances that might affect a person's culpability for a given sin, but round poling by an adult male educated in the Catholic Church is not likely to be waived by the Canon.

The Canon is not the determining factor. An addictive personality, for instance, would lessen culpability. In any case, the vast majority of mature men grow out of masturbation.

Adolescent males, however, are another story, and one could surmise that very few adolescents are guilty of anything when committing this solitary act, given their general immaturity.

[steve86]

You could always come up with a personality factor that, in your mind, excuses the behavior.

The same kind of reasoning that bleeding heart libs use to excuse criminality due to deficiencies in upbringing.

I think you should go back and read one particular line:

when conscience is by degrees almost blinded by the habit of committing sin or, in your case, thinking that sin is not sin.

[steve86]

If an adolescent is told that masturbation is a sin, is capable of understanding and continues doing it, it is a sin. As with all sins, absolution is forthcoming at Confession if the individual sincerely intends to not continue to sin in this fashion.

[stuartcr]

That's according to a book, written by a man.

[Accygirl]

"For my part, I am grateful that the Church does not listen to the peanut gallery and stays true to her One Lord and Master. Because had She done so early on, I guarantee you She would not have survived. Do you want to see what modernism does to a church? I give you the Episcopal Church and other mainline churches sliding into the morass of moral abyss. No, thank you. I'd rather set my mind on the things above. Meanwhile, the Church will continue to speak the truth to each age that manifests its love of self in increasingly creative self-defeating ways."

The Catholic Church is the only major Christian sect that I know of that has such an unenlightened view of sex (i.e. that it's EVIL and only for babies). Even conservative Evangelicals understand the importance of sex as a form of intimacy within a relationship.

"You could not have said a more ignorant statement, I'm afraid. Try using reason next time."

I consider elderly men who criticize women for only having two children so that they can have a career or go back to school to be the ignorant ones. (Being out on maternity leave seven times in ten years will most definitely stop someone from climbing up the corporate ladder).

[Carolina]

The Catholic Church is the only major Christian sect that I know of that has such an unenlightened view of sex (i.e. that it's EVIL and only for babies).

Please, educate yourself on what the Church actually teaches. You are going on hearsay. You have NO idea what you're talking about. Which leads you to say such an embarrassing statement such as this (which only shows your bigotry against the Catholic Church):

I consider elderly men who criticize women for only having two children so that they can have a career or go back to school to be the ignorant ones.

Again, for your sake, so that you can regain some credibility (aren't conservatives supposed to use their reasoning skills better than liberals?) go read what the Church really teaches.

Of course, you could say to me that you don't have time to do that or that you already know what it teaches. To which I will re-iterate, the Church will continue to speak against the rampant and deep-seated self-love that you clearly demonstrate by your statements.

A good place to start is Humanae Vitae. I'll even provide the link for you: click here. I challenge you to read it and then come back here and make some substantive points.

If you don't want to do that, then may you be happy in your ignorance.

[Accygirl]

I went to Catholic school for twelve years, and that is what I was taught in school (i.e. that sex is EVIL and only serves a creative purpose). This has been the Catholics' view of sex since St. Augustine and is at odds with how most Protestant sects (including Evangelicals) view sex within marriage.

As for the Church's view of women, I do believe that they're very much against modern working women. As anyone working in the corporate world will tell you, having more than two children will kill your career. True a company has to hold a woman's job for her, but being on maternity leave seven times in ten years will definitely kill any promotional opportunities in the workplace. Nor could a mother with seven small children think about going back to school to get an advanced degree.

[Accygirl]

I went to Catholic school for twelve years, and that is what I was taught in school (i.e. that sex is EVIL and only serves a creative purpose). This has been the Catholics' view of sex since St. Augustine and is at odds with how most Protestant sects (including Evangelicals) view sex within marriage.

As for the Church's view of women, I do believe that they're very much against modern working women. As anyone working in the corporate world will tell you, having more than two children will kill your career. True a company has to hold a woman's job for her, but being on maternity leave seven times in ten years will definitely kill any promotional opportunities in the workplace. Nor could a mother with seven small children think about going back to school to get an advanced degree.

[Carolina]

Did you read ? Until you do, all your points are just plain willful ignorance.

[Carolina]

I meant: Did you read Humanae Vitae?

[Accygirl]

As someone forced to sit through twelve years of Catholic religious education, I'm well aware of the Church's views about sex. However, one doesn't even need such statements to understand exactly where the Church stands. One can figure out exactly where the Catholic Church is today by statements such as the horrible ill-informed statement criticizing families who might only want one or two children. As I said earlier, having a "litter" of children disproportionately affects women, making it impossible for them to get promotions, advanced degrees, etc. Because of that, it's only fair that women be permitted to protect themselves in the first place.

Frankly, the Catholic Church has an incredibly bad wrap when it comes to female sexuality and has committed highly sinful acts against women because of it as recently as the 1960s. Why the Church wants to continue to act that way toward half of its members is beyond me..