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Bishops Affirm Support for Christopher West Send Message to Theology of the Body Institute PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, SEPT. 17, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Philadelphia and the bishop of Harrisburg are expressing support for Christopher West and his work at the Theology of the Body Institute. In an Aug. 10 statement released today, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, who is chairman of the institute's episcopal advisory board, and Bishop Kevin Rhoades, head of the diocese where the organization is located, affirmed their "strong support" for its "important work." The prelates affirmed: "We are convinced that John Paul II's Theology of the...

Does Contraception Foster Love? — Part 2 of 6 July 22nd, 2008 by Christopher West We continue a series of reflections on the issue of contraception in light of the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. When Pope Paul VI issued this document on July 25, 1968, it fell like a bomb. Many people wished the issue would just go away. It hasn’t. And it won’t. In fact, it can’t “go away.” This encyclical takes us to the very foundations of human life (humanae vitae).In the last column, we looked at how contraception has played a key role in the cultural...

Contraception and Cultural Chaos — Part 1 of 6 July 21st, 2008 by Christopher West This July 25th marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most controversial papal documents in history: Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae which reaffirmed the traditional Christian teaching on the immorality of contraception. If you have wrestled with this teaching, believe me, I can relate. Years ago I almost left the Church over it. Forty years of perspective provide an opportunity to take another look. That’s what I’ll be doing in [the next] several columns.You may have noticed above that I said “traditional Christian teaching”...