Free Republic

On what grounds did Pope Paul VI condemn contraception in his controversial encyclical letter, Humanae Vitae, and are those reasons still valid today? Next month, an international group of experts will meet in Rome to examine and offer a vigorous defense of the Church’s teaching in Humanae Vitae, as concerns mount about an effort in the Vatican to “reinterpret” it so as to allow for contraception in certain cases. The event, organized by the pro-life and pro-family coalition Voice of the Family, will commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical letter which reaffirmed the...

It will be Monsignor Gilfredo Marengo, Professor at John Paul II Pontifical Institute, the coordinator of the commission nominated by Pope Francis to “re-interpret” the encyclical Humanæ Vitæ by Paul VI, in the light of Amoris laetitia, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the former’s promulgation, which falls next year. The initial rumors of the existence of this commission, still secret, reported by Vatican reporter Marco Tosatti, were of a sound source. We can confirm that there is a commission, made up of Monsignor Pierangelo Sequeri, Head of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute, Professor Philippe Chenaux, Lecturer...

In my previous column on this subject, I discussed how Pope Francis, in another of his freewheeling, offhand commentaries to the press at the back of the airplane, condoned the use of contraception -- both condoms and pills -- to avoid conception during the so-called Zika crisis. In other words, he condoned contraception for eugenic motives: to prevent conception on account of a birth defect that the virus might cause (microcephaly). In support of this astonishing suggestion, Francis cited the tale of how Paul VI supposedly "permitted nuns [in the Congo] to use contraceptives in cases of rape." Even if...

Cardinal James Stafford reflects on how dissenters to Humane Vitae tore the Church apart -- and how that rift left scars that remain to this day. "Lead us not into temptation" is the sixth petition of the Our Father. Peirasmòs, the Greek word used in this passage for 'temptation,' means a trial or test. Disciples petition God to be protected against the supreme test of ungodly powers. The trial is related to Jesus's cup in Gethsemane, the same cup which his disciples would also taste (Mk 10: 35-45). The dark side of the interior of the cup is an abyss....

Pope reaffirms Church opposition to contraception VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI on Friday reaffirmed the Catholic Church's condemnation of artificial birth control, a position that has driven millions of people away from the faith. Contraception "means negating the intimate truth of conjugal love, with which the divine gift (of life) is communicated," the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics wrote on the 40th anniversary of a papal encyclical on the controversial topic. The message came two months after an appeal for a retraction by some 60 Catholic groups who said the Church's stance had been "catastrophic"...

Year Infant Baptisms Marriages Cuumlative Baptisms Cummulative Baptism Cummulative Baptisms/Marriage Annual Baptism/Marriage Ratio of Catholics Married In Church 1943 722434 289548 4699880 3.14 2.45 1.12 1944 710648 249140 14770410 4725321 3.26 2.83 1.17 1945 705557 245261 15404338 4796173 3.34 2.88 1.21 1946 705557 245261 16012434 4870393 3.42 3.01 1.18 1947 738314 345772 16659248 4937943 3.49 2.62 1.13 1948 907294 394593 17243217 4903826 3.60 2.38 0.90 1949 937208 373191 17658238 4838683 3.73 2.53 0.82 1950 943443 338512 18031443 4817950 3.81 2.88 0.78 1951 973544 328317 18362938 4836438 3.84 3.10 0.72 1952 1018303 319846 18580236 4869050 3.84 3.37 0.67 1953 1077184...