Humanae Vitae
On Human Life
Encyclical Letter by Pope Paul VI
July 25, 1968
Contents
- The Transmission of Life
- New Formulation of the Problem
- " "
- Competency of the Magisterium
- Special Studies
- Reply of the Magisterium
- A Total Vision of Man
- " "
- Its Characteristics
- Responsible Parenthood
- Respect for the Nature and Purpose of the
Marriage Act
- Two Inseparable Aspects: Union and Procreation
- Faithfulness to God's Design
- Illicit Ways of Regulating Birth
- Licitness of Therapeutic Means
- Licitness of Recourse to Infecund Periods
- Grave Consequences of Methods of Artificial
Birth Control
- The Church, Guarantor of True Human Values
- The Church, Mater et Magistra
- Possibility of Observing the Divine Law
- Mastery of Self
- Creating an Atmosphere Favorable to Chastity
- Appeal to Public Authorities
- To Men of Science
- To Christian Husbands and Wives
- Apostolate in Homes
- To Doctors and Medical Personnel
- To Priests
- " "
- To Bishops
- Final Appeal
To the venerable Patriarchs,
Archbishops and Bishops and other local ordinaries in peace
and communion with the Apostolic See, to priests, the faithful
and to all men of good will:
Venerable brothers and beloved sons:
The Transmission of Life
1. The most serious duty of transmitting human life, for
which married persons are the free and responsible collaborators
of God the Creator, has always been a source of great joys
to them, even if sometimes accompanied by not a few difficulties
and by distress.
At all times the fulfillment of this duty has posed grave
problems to the conscience of married persons, but, with the
recent evolution of society, changes have taken place that
give rise to new questions which the Church could not ignore,
having to do with a matter which so closely touches upon the
life and happiness of men.
I. New Aspects of the Problem and Competency
of the Magisterium
New Formulation of the Problem
2. The changes which have taken place are in fact noteworthy
and of varied kinds. In the first place, there is the rapid
demographic development. Fear is shown by many that world
population is growing more rapidly than the available resources,
with growing distress to many families and developing countries,
so that the temptation for authorities to counter this danger
with radical measures is great. Moreover, working and lodging
conditions, as well as increased exigencies both in the economic
field and in that of education, often make the proper education
of an elevated number of children difficult today. A change
is also seen both in the manner of considering the person
of woman and her place in society, and in the value to be
attributed to conjugal love in marriage, and also in the appreciation
to be made of the meaning of conjugal acts in relation to
that love.
Finally and above all, man has made stupendous progress in
the domination and rational organization of the forces of
nature, such that he tends to extend this domination to his
own total being: to the body, to psychical life, to social
life and even to the laws which regulate the transmission
of life.
3. This new state of things gives rise to new questions.
Granted the conditions of life today, and granted the meaning
which conjugal relations have with respect to the harmony
between husband and wife and to their mutual fidelity, would
not a revision of the ethical norms, in force up to now, seem
to be advisable, especially when it is considered that they
cannot be observed without sacrifices, sometimes heroic sacrifices?
And again: by extending to this field the application of
the so-called "principle of totality," could it
not be admitted that the intention of a less abundant but
more rationalized fecundity might transform a materially sterilizing
intervention into a licit and wise control of birth? Could
it not be admitted, that is, that the finality of procreation
pertains to the ensemble of conjugal life, rather than to
its single acts? It is also asked whether, in view of the
increased sense of responsibility of modern man, the moment
has not come for him to entrust to his reason and his will,
rather than to the biological rhythms of his organism, the
task of regulating birth.
Competency of the Magisterium
4. Such questions required from the teaching authority of
the Church a new and deeper reflection upon the principles
of the moral teaching on marriage: a teaching founded on the
natural law, illuminated and enriched by divine revelation.
No believer will wish to deny that the teaching authority
of the Church is competent to interpret even the natural moral
law. It is, in fact, indisputable, as our predecessors have
many times declared, (1) that Jesus Christ,
when communicating to Peter and to the apostles His divine
authority and sending them to teach all nations His commandments,
(2) constituted them as guardians and authentic
interpreters of all the moral law, not only, that is, of the
law of the Gospel, but also of the natural law, which is also
an expression of the will of God, the faithful fulfillment
of which is equally necessary for salvation. (3)
Conformably to this mission of hers, the Church has always
provided-and even more amply in recent times-a coherent teaching
concerning both the nature of marriage and the correct use
of conjugal rights and the duties of husband and wife.
Special Studies
5. The consciousness of that same mission induced us to confirm
and enlarge the study commission which our predecessor Pope
John XXIII of happy memory had instituted in March, 1963.
That commission which included, besides several experts in
the various pertinent disciplines, also married couples, had
as its scope the gathering of opinions on the new questions
regarding conjugal life, and in particular on the regulation
of births, and of furnishing opportune elements of information
so that the magisterium could give an adequate reply to the
expectation not only of the faithful, but also of world opinion.
(5)
The work of these experts, as well as the successive judgments
and counsels spontaneously forwarded by or expressly requested
from a good number of our brothers in the episcopate, have
permitted us to measure more exactly all the aspects of this
complex matter. Hence with all our heart we express to each
of them our lively gratitude.
Reply of the Magisterium
6. The conclusions at which the commission arrived could
not, nevertheless, be considered by us as definitive, nor
dispense us from a personal examination of this serious question;
and this also because, within the commission itself, no full
concordance of judgments concerning the moral norms to be
proposed had been reached, and above all because certain criteria
of solutions had emerged which departed from the moral teaching
on marriage proposed with constant firmness by the teaching
authority of the Church.
Therefore, having attentively sifted the documentation laid
before us, after mature reflection and assiduous prayers,
we now intend, by virtue of the mandate entrusted to us by
Christ, to give our reply to these grave questions.
II. Doctrinal Principles
A Total Vision of Man
7. The problem of birth, like every other problem regarding
human life, is to be considered, beyond partial perspectives-whether
of the biological or psychological, demographic or sociological
orders-in the light of an integral vision of man and of his
vocation, not only his natural and earthly, but also his supernatural
and eternal vocation. And since, in the attempt to justify
artificial methods of birth control, many have appealed to
the demands both of conjugal love and of "responsible
parenthood" it is good to state very precisely the true
concept of these two great realities of married life, referring
principally to what was recently set forth in this regard,
and in a highly authoritative form, by the Second Vatican
Council in its pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes (Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World).
8. Conjugal love reveals its true nature and nobility when
it is considered in its supreme origin, God, who is love,
(6) "the Father, from whom every family
in Heaven and on earth is named." (7)
Marriage is not, then, the effect of chance or the product
of evolution of unconscious natural forces; it is the wise
institution of the Creator to realize in mankind His design
of love. By means of the reciprocal personal gift of self,
proper and exclusive to them, husband and wife tend towards
the communion of their beings in view of mutual personal perfection,
to collaborate with God in the generation and education of
new lives.
For baptized persons, moreover, marriage invests the dignity
of a sacramental sign of grace, inasmuch as it represents
the union of Christ and of the Church.
Its Characteristics
9. Under this light, there clearly appear the characteristic
marks and demands of conjugal love, and it is of supreme importance
to have an exact idea of these.
This love is first of all fully human, that is to say, of
the senses and of the spirit at the same time. It is not,
then, a simple transport of instinct and sentiment, but also,
and principally, an act of the free will, intended to endure
and to grow by means of the joys and sorrows of daily life,
in such a way that husband and wife become one only heart
and one only soul, and together attain their human perfection.
Then, this love is total, that is to say, it is a very special
form of personal friendship, in which husband and wife generously
share everything, without undue reservations or selfish calculations.
Whoever truly loves his marriage partner loves not only for
what he receives, but for the partner's self, rejoicing that
he can enrich his partner with the gift of himself.
Again, this love is faithful and exclusive until death. Thus
in fact do bride and groom conceive it to be on the day when
they freely and in full awareness assume the duty of the marriage
bond. A fidelity, this, which can sometimes be difficult,
but is always possible, always noble and meritorious, as no
one can deny. The example of so many married persons down
through the centuries shows, not only that fidelity is according
to the nature of marriage, but also that it is a source of
profound and lasting happiness and finally, this love is fecund
for it is not exhausted by the communion between husband and
wife, but is destined to continue, raising up new lives. "Marriage
and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the
begetting and educating of children. Children are really the
supreme gift of marriage and contribute very substantially
to the welfare of their parents." (8)
Responsible Parenthood
10. Hence conjugal love requires in husband and wife an awareness
of their mission of "responsible parenthood," which
today is rightly much insisted upon, and which also must be
exactly understood. Consequently it is to be considered under
different aspects which are legitimate and connected with
one another.
In relation to the biological processes, responsible parenthood
means the knowledge and respect of their functions; human
intellect discovers in the power of giving life biological
laws which are part of the human person. (9)
In relation to the tendencies of instinct or passion, responsible
parenthood means that necessary dominion which reason and
will must exercise over them.
In relation to physical, economic, psychological and social
conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised, either by
the deliberate and generous decision to raise a numerous family,
or by the decision, made for grave motives and with due respect
for the moral law, to avoid for the time being, or even for
an indeterminate period, a new birth.
Responsible parenthood also and above all implies a more
profound relationship to the objective moral order established
by God, of which a right conscience is the faithful interpreter.
The responsible exercise of parenthood implies, therefore,
that husband and wife recognize fully their own duties towards
God, towards themselves, towards the family and towards society,
in a correct hierarchy of values.
In the task of transmitting life, therefore, they are not
free to proceed completely at will, as if they could determine
in a wholly autonomous way the honest path to follow; but
they must conform their activity to the creative intention
of God, expressed in the very nature of marriage and of its
acts, and manifested by the constant teaching of the Church."
(10)
Respect for the Nature and Purpose of
the Marriage Act
11. These acts, by which husband and wife are united in chaste
intimacy, and by means of which human life is transmitted,
are, as the council recalled, "noble and worthy,"
(11) and they do not cease to be lawful
if, for causes independent of the will of husband and wife,
they are foreseen to be infecund, since they always remain
ordained towards expressing and consolidating their union.
In fact, as experience bears witness, not every conjugal act
is followed by a new life. God has wisely disposed natural
laws and rhythms of fecundity which, of themselves, cause
a separation in the succession of births. Nonetheless the
Church, calling men back to the observance of the norms of
the natural law, as interpreted by its constant doctrine teaches
that each and every marriage act (quilibet matrimonii usus)
must remain open to the transmission of life. (12)
Two Inseparable Aspects: Union and Procreation
12. That teaching, often set forth by the magisterium, is
founded upon the inseparable connection, willed by God and
unable to be broken by man on his own initiative, between
the two meanings of the conjugal act: the unitive meaning
and the procreative meaning. Indeed, by its intimate structure,
the conjugal act, while most closely uniting husband and wife,
capacitates them for the generation of new lives, according
to laws inscribed in the very being of man and of woman. By
safeguarding both these essential aspects, the unitive and
the procreative, the conjugal act preserves in its fullness
the sense of true mutual love and its ordination towards man's
most high calling to parenthood. We believe that the men of
our day are particularly capable of seizing the deeply reasonable
and human character of this fundamental principle.
Faithfulness to God's Design
13. It is in fact justly observed that a conjugal act imposed
upon one's partner without regard for his or her condition
and lawful desires is not a true act of love, and therefore
denies an exigency of right moral order in the relationships
between husband and wife. Hence, one who reflects well must
also recognize that a reciprocal act of love, which jeopardizes
the responsibility to transmit life which God the Creator,
according to particular laws, inserted therein, is in contradiction
with the design constitutive of marriage, and with the will
of the Author of life. To use this divine gift destroying,
even if only partially, its meaning and its purpose is to
contradict the nature both of man and of woman and of their
most intimate relationship, and therefore it is to contradict
also the plan of God and His will. On the other hand, to make
use of the gift of conjugal love while respecting the laws
of the generative process means to acknowledge oneself not
to be the arbiter of the sources of human life, but rather
the minister of the design established by the Creator. In
fact, just as man does not have unlimited dominion over his
body in general, so also, with particular reason, he has no
such dominion over his generative faculties as such, because
of their intrinsic ordination towards raising up life, of
which God is the principle. "Human life is sacred,"
Pope John XXIII recalled; "from its very inception it
reveals the creating hand of God." (13)
Illicit Ways of Regulating Birth
14. In conformity with these landmarks in the human and Christian
vision of marriage, we must once again declare that the direct
interruption of the generative process already begun, and,
above all, directly willed and procured abortion, even if
for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as
licit means of regulating birth. (14)
Equally to be excluded, as the teaching authority of the
Church has frequently declared, is direct sterilization, whether
perpetual or temporary, whether of the man or of the woman.
(15) Similarly excluded is every action
which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its
accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences,
proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation
impossible. (16)
To justify conjugal acts made intentionally infecund, one
cannot invoke as valid reasons the lesser evil, or the fact
that such acts would constitute a whole together with the
fecund acts already performed or to follow later, and hence
would share in one and the same moral goodness. In truth,
if it is sometimes licit to tolerate a lesser evil in order
to avoid a greater evil or to promote a greater good, (17)
it is not licit, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil
so that good may follow therefrom, (18) that is, to make into the object of a positive act of the
will something which is intrinsically disorder, and hence
unworthy of the human person, even when the intention is to
safeguard or promote individual, family or social well-being.
Consequently it is an error to think that a conjugal act which
is deliberately made infecund and so is intrinsically dishonest
could be made honest and right by the ensemble of a fecund
conjugal life.
Licitness of Therapeutic Means
15. The Church, on the contrary, does not at all consider
illicit the use of those therapeutic means truly necessary
to cure diseases of the organism, even if an impediment to
procreation, which may be foreseen, should result therefrom,
provided such impediment is not, for whatever motive, directly
willed. (19)
Licitness of Recourse to Infecund Periods
16. To this teaching of the Church on conjugal morals, the
objection is made today, as we observed earlier (no. 3), that
it is the prerogative of the human intellect to dominate the
energies offered by irrational nature and to orientate them
towards an end conformable to the good of man. Now, some may
ask: in the present case, is it not reasonable in many circumstances
to have recourse to artificial birth control if, thereby,
we secure the harmony and peace of the family, and better
conditions for the education of the children already born?
To this question it is necessary to reply with clarity: the
Church is the first to praise and recommend the intervention
of intelligence in a function which so closely associates
the rational creature with his Creator; but the affirms that
this must be done with respect for the order established by
God.
If, then, there are serious motives to space out births,
which derive from the physical or psychological conditions
of husband and wife, or from external conditions, the Church
teaches that it is then licit to take into account the natural
rhythms immanent in the generative functions, for the use
of marriage in the infecund periods only, and in this way
to regulate birth without offending the moral principles which
have been recalled earlier. (20)
The Church is coherent with herself when she considers recourse
to the infecund periods to be licit, while at the same time
condemning, as being always illicit, the use of means directly
contrary to fecundation, even if such use is inspired by reasons
which may appear honest and serious. In reality, there are
essential differences between the two cases; in the former,
the married couple make legitimate use of a natural disposition;
in the latter, they impede the development of natural processes.
It is true that, in the one and the other case, the married
couple are concordant in the positive will of avoiding children
for plausible reasons, seeking the certainty that offspring
will not arrive; but it is also true that only in the former
case are they able to renounce the use of marriage in the
fecund periods when, for just motives, procreation is not
desirable, while making use of it during infecund periods
to manifest their affection and to safeguard their mutual
fidelity. By so doing, they give proof of a truly and integrally
honest love.
Grave Consequences of Methods of Artificial
Birth Control
17. Upright men can even better convince themselves of the
solid grounds on which the teaching of the Church in this
field is based, if they care to reflect upon the consequences
of methods of artificial birth control. Let them consider,
first of all, how wide and easy a road would thus be opened
up towards conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of
morality. Not much experience is needed in order to know human
weakness, and to understand that men-especially the young,
who are so vulnerable on this point-have need of encouragement
to be faithful to the moral law, so that they must not be
offered some easy means of eluding its observance. It is also
to be feared that the man, growing used to the employment
of anticonceptive practices, may finally lose respect for
the woman and, no longer caring for her physical and psychological
equilibrium, may come to the point of considering her as a
mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer as his
respected and beloved companion.
Let it be considered also that a dangerous weapon would thus
be placed in the hands of those public authorities who take
no heed of moral exigencies. Who could blame a government
for applying to the solution of the problems of the community
those means acknowledged to be licit for married couples in
the solution of a family problem? Who will stop rulers from
favoring, from even imposing upon their peoples, if they were
to consider it necessary, the method of contraception which
they judge to be most efficacious? In such a way men, wishing
to avoid individual, family, or social difficulties encountered
in the observance of the divine law, would reach the point
of placing at the mercy of the intervention of public authorities
the most personal and most reserved sector of conjugal intimacy.
Consequently, if the mission of generating life is not to
be exposed to the arbitrary will of men, one must necessarily
recognize unsurmountable limits to the possibility of man's
domination over his own body and its functions; limits which
no man, whether a private individual or one invested with
authority, may licitly surpass. And such limits cannot be
determined otherwise than by the respect due to the integrity
of the human organism and its functions, according to the
principles recalled earlier, and also according to the correct
understanding of the "principle of totality" illustrated
by our predecessor Pope Pius XII. (21)
The Church, Guarantor of True Human Values
18. It can be foreseen that this teaching will perhaps not
be easily received by all: Too numerous are those voices-amplified
by the modern means of propaganda-which are contrary to the
voice of the Church. To tell the truth, the Church is not
surprised to be made, like her divine founder, a "sign
of contradiction," (22) yet she does
not because of this cease to proclaim with humble firmness
the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical. Of such
laws the Church was not the author, nor consequently can she
be their arbiter; she is only their depositary and their interpreter,
without ever being able to declare to be licit that which
is not so by reason of its intimate an unchangeable opposition
to the true good of man.
In defending conjugal morals in their integral wholeness,
the Church knows that she contributes towards the establishment
of a truly human civilization; she engages man not to abdicate
from his own responsibility in order to rely on technical
means; by that very fact she defends the dignity of man and
wife. Faithful to both the teaching and the example of the
Savior, she shows herself to be the sincere and disinterested
friend of men, whom she wishes to help, even during their
earthly sojourn, "to share as sons in the life of the
living God, the Father of all men." (23)
III. Pastoral Directives
The Church, Mater et Magistra
19. Our words would not be an adequate expression of the
thought and solicitude of the Church, mother and teacher of
all peoples, if, after having recalled men to the observance
and respect of the divine law regarding matrimony, we did
not strengthen them in the path of honest regulation of birth,
even amid the difficult conditions which today afflict families
and peoples. The Church, in fact, cannot have a different
conduct towards men than that of the Redeemer. She knows their
weaknesses, has compassion on the crowd, receives sinners;
but she cannot renounce the teaching of the law which is,
in reality, that law proper to a human life restored to its
original truth and conducted by the spirit of God. (24)
Possibility of Observing the Divine Law
20. The teaching of the Church on the regulation of birth,
which promulgates the divine law, will easily appear to many
to be difficult or even impossible of actuation. And indeed,
like all great beneficent realities, it demands serious engagement
and much effort, individual, family and social effort. More
than that, it would not be practicable without the help of
God, who upholds and strengthens the good will of men. Yet,
to anyone who reflects well, it cannot but be clear that such
efforts ennoble man and are beneficial to the human community.
Mastery of Self
21. The honest practice of regulation of birth demands first
of all that husband and wife acquire and possess solid convictions
concerning the true values of life and of the family, and
that they tend towards securing perfect self-mastery. To dominate
instinct by means of one's reason and free will undoubtedly
requires ascetical practices, so that the affective manifestations
of conjugal life may observe the correct order, in particular
with regard to the observance of periodic continence. Yet
this discipline which is proper to the purity of married couples,
far from harming conjugal love, rather confers on it a higher
human value. It demands continual effort yet, thanks to its
beneficent influence, husband and wife fully develop their
personalities, being enriched with spiritual values. Such
discipline bestows upon family life fruits of serenity and
peace, and facilitates the solution of other problems; it
favors attention for one's partner, helps both parties to
drive out selfishness, the enemy of true love; and deepens
their sense of responsibility. By its means, parents acquire
the capacity of having a deeper and more efficacious influence
in the education of their offspring; little children and youths
grow up with a just appraisal of human values, and in the
serene and harmonious development of their spiritual and sensitive
faculties.
Creating an Atmosphere Favorable to Chastity
22. On this occasion, we wish to draw the attention of educators,
and of all who perform duties of responsibility in regard
to the common good of human society, to the need of creating
an atmosphere favorable to education in chastity, that is,
to the triumph of healthy liberty over license by means of
respect for the moral order.
Everything in the modern media of social communications which
leads to sense excitation and unbridled customs, as well as
every form of pornography and licentious performances, must
arouse the frank and unanimous reaction of all those who are
solicitous for the progress of civilization and the defense
of the common good of the human spirit. Vainly would one seek
to justify such depravation with the pretext of artistic or
scientific exigencies, (25) or to deduce
an argument from the freedom allowed in this sector by the
public authorities.
Appeal to Public Authorities
23. To rulers, who are those principally responsible for
the common good, and who can do so much to safeguard moral
customs, we say: Do not allow the morality of your peoples
to be degraded; do not permit that by legal means practices
contrary to the natural and divine law be introduced into
that fundamental cell, the family. Quite other is the way
in which public authorities can and must contribute to the
solution of the demographic problem: namely, the way of a
provident policy for the family, of a wise education of peoples
in respect of moral law and the liberty of citizens.
We are well aware of the serious difficulties experienced
by public authorities in this regard, especially in the developing
countries. To their legitimate preoccupations we devoted our
encyclical letter Populorum Progressio (The Development of
Peoples). But with our predecessor Pope John XXIII, we repeat:
no solution to these difficulties is acceptable "which
does violence to man's essential dignity" and is based
only on an utterly materialistic conception of man himself
and of his life. The only possible solution to this question
is one which envisages the social and economic progress both
of individuals and of the whole of human society, and which
respects and promotes true human values. (26)
Neither can one, without grave injustice, consider divine
providence to be responsible for what depends, instead, on
a lack of wisdom in government, on an insufficient sense of
social justice, on selfish monopolization, or again on blameworthy
indolence in confronting the efforts and the sacrifices necessary
to ensure the raising of living standards of a people and
of all its sons. (27)
May all responsible public authorities-as some are already
doing so laudably-generously revive their efforts. And may
mutual aid between all the members of the great human family
never cease to grow: This is an almost limitless field which
thus opens up to the activity of the great international organizations.
To Men of Science
24. We wish now to express our encouragement to men of science,
who "can considerably advance the welfare of marriage
and the family, along with peace of conscience, if by pooling
their efforts they labor to explain more thoroughly the various
conditions favoring a proper regulation of births. (28)
It is particularly desirable that, according to the wish already
expressed by Pope Pius XII, medical science succeed in providing
a sufficiently secure basis for a regulation of birth, founded
on the observance of natural rhythms. (29)
In this way, scientists and especially Catholic scientists
will contribute to demonstrate in actual fact that, as the
Church teaches, "a true contradiction cannot exist between
the divine laws pertaining to the transmission of life and
those pertaining to the fostering of authentic conjugal love."
(30)
To Christian Husbands and Wives
25. And now our words more directly address our own children,
particularly those whom God calls to serve Him in marriage.
The Church, while teaching imprescriptible demands of the
divine law, announces the tidings of salvation, and by means
of the sacraments opens up the paths of grace, which makes
man a new creature, capable of corresponding with love and
true freedom to the design of his Creator and Savior, and
of finding the yoke of Christ to be sweet. (31)
Christian married couples, then, docile to her voice, must
remember that their Christian vocation, which began at baptism,
is further specified and reinforced by the sacrament of matrimony.
By it husband and wife are strengthened and as it were consecrated
for the faithful accomplishment of their proper duties, for
the carrying out of their proper vocation even to perfection,
and the Christian witness which is proper to them before the
whole world. (32) To them the Lord entrusts
the task of making visible to men the holiness and sweetness
of the law which unites the mutual love of husband and wife
with their cooperation with the love of God, the author of
human life.
We do not at all intend to hide the sometimes serious difficulties
inherent in the life of Christian married persons; for them
as for everyone else, "the gate is narrow and the way
is hard, that leads to life." (33)
But the hope of that life must illuminate their way, as with
courage they strive to live with wisdom, justice and piety
in this present time, (34) knowing that
the figure of this world passes away. (35)
Let married couples, then, face up to the efforts needed,
supported by the faith and hope which "do not disappoint...because
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to us." (36)
Let them implore divine assistance by persevering prayer;
above all, let them draw from the source of grace and charity
in the Eucharist. And if sin should still keep its hold over
them, let them not be discouraged, but rather have recourse
with humble perseverance to the mercy of God, which is poured
forth in the sacrament of Penance. In this way they will be
enabled to achieve the fullness of conjugal life described
by the Apostle: "husbands, love your wives, as Christ
loved the Church...husbands should love their wives as their
own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man
ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,
as Christ does the Church...this is a great mystery, and I
mean in reference to Christ and the Church. However, let each
one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see
that she respects her husband." (37)
Apostolate in Homes
26. Among the fruits which ripen forth from a generous effort
of fidelity to the divine law, one of the most precious is
that married couples themselves not infrequently feel the
desire to communicate their experience to others. Thus there
comes to be included in the vast pattern of the vocation of
the laity a new and most noteworthy form of the apostolate
of like to like; it is married couples themselves who become
apostles and guides to other married couples. This is assuredly,
among so many forms of apostolate, one of those which seem
most opportune today. (38)
To Doctors and Medical Personnel
27. We hold those physicians and medical personnel in the
highest esteem who, in the exercise of their profession, value
above every human interest the superior demands of their Christian
vocation. Let them persevere, therefore, in promoting on every
occasion the discovery of solutions inspired by faith and
right reason, let them strive to arouse this conviction and
this respect in their associates. Let them also consider as
their proper professional duty the task of acquiring all the
knowledge needed in this delicate sector, so as to be able
to give to those married persons who consult them wise counsel
and healthy direction, such as they have a right to expect.
To Priests
28. Beloved priest sons, by vocation you are the counselors
and spiritual guides of individual persons and of families.
We now turn to you with confidence. Your first task-especially
in the case of those who teach moral theology-is to expound
the Church's teaching on marriage without ambiguity. Be the
first to give, in the exercise of your ministry, the example
of loyal internal and external obedience to the teaching authority
of the Church. That obedience, as you know well, obliges not
only because of the reasons adduced, but rather because of
the light of the Holy Spirit, which is given in a particular
way to the pastors of the Church in order that they may illustrate
the truth. (39) You know, too, that it is of the utmost importance, for peace
of consciences and for the unity of the Christian people,
that in the field of morals as well as in that of dogma, all
should attend to the magisterium of the Church, and all should
speak the same language. Hence, with all our heart we renew
to you the heartfelt plea of the great Apostle Paul: "I
appeal to you, brethren, by the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree and that there be no dissension's among
you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same
judgment." (40)
29. To diminish in no way the saving teaching of Christ constitutes
an eminent form of charity for souls. But this must ever be
accompanied by patience and goodness, such as the Lord himself
gave example of in dealing with men. Having come not to condemn
but to save, (41) He was intransigent with evil, but merciful toward individuals.
In their difficulties, may married couples always find, in
the words and in the heart of a priest, the echo of the voice
and the love of the Redeemer.
And then speak with confidence, beloved sons, fully convinced
that the spirit of God, while He assists the magisterium in
proposing doctrine, illumines internally the hearts of the
faithful inviting them to give their assent. Teach married
couples the indispensable way of prayer; prepare them to have
recourse often and with faith to the sacraments of the Eucharist
and of Penance, without ever allowing themselves to be discouraged
by their own weakness.
To Bishops
30. Beloved and venerable brothers in the episcopate, with
whom we most intimately share the solicitude of the spiritual
good of the people of God, at the conclusion of this encyclical
our reverent and affectionate thoughts turn to you. To all
of you we extend an urgent invitation. At the head of the
priests, your collaborators, and of your faithful, work ardently
and incessantly for the safeguarding and the holiness of marriage,
so that it may always be lived in its entire human and Christian
fullness. Consider this mission as one of your most urgent
responsibilities at the present time.
As you know, it implies concerted pastoral action in all
the fields of human activity, economic, cultural and social;
for, in fact, only a simultaneous improvement in these various
sectors will make it possible to render the life of parents
and of children within their families not only tolerable,
but easier and more joyous, to render the living together
in human society more fraternal and peaceful, in faithfulness
to God's design for the world.
Final Appeal
31. Venerable brothers, most beloved sons, and all men of
good will, great indeed is the work of education, of progress
and of love to which we call you, upon the foundation of the
Church's teaching, of which the successor of Peter is, together
with his brothers in the episcopate, the depositary and interpreter.
Truly a great work, as we are deeply convinced, both for the
world and for the Church, since man cannot find true happiness-towards
which he aspires with all his being-other than in respect
of the laws written by God in his very nature, laws which
he must observe with intelligence and love. Upon this work,
and upon all of you, and especially upon married couples,
we invoke the abundant graces of the God of holiness and mercy,
and in pledge thereof we impart to you all our apostolic blessing.
Given at Rome, from St. Peter's, this 25th day of July, feast
of St. James the Apostle, in the year 1968, the sixth of our
pontificate.
PAULUS PP. VI.
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Notes
- Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical Qui pluribus:
Pii IX P.M. Acta, 1, pp.9-10; St. Pius X, Encycl. Singulari
quadam, AAS 4 (1912), p. 658; Piux XI, Encycl. Casti Connubii,
AAS 22 (1930), pp. 579-581 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 107-109);
Pius XII, Address Magnificate Dominum to the Episcopate
of the Catholic World, AAS 46 (1954), pp. 671-672; John
XXIII, Encyl. Mater et Magistra, AAS 53 (1961), p. 457 (C.T.S.
translation, n. 239).
- Cf. Mt 28:18-19.
- Cf. Mt 7:21.
- Cf. Council of Trent Roman Catechism,
Part II, ch. 8; Leo XIII, Encycl. Arcanum: Acta Leonis XIII,
2 (1880), pp. 26-29; Pius XI, Encycl. Divini Illius Magistri,
AAS 22 (1930), pp. 58-61 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 32-41;
Pius XI, Encycl. Casti Connubii, AAS 22 (1930), PP. 545-546
(C.T.S. translation, nn. 16-18); Pius XII, Address to the
Italian Medico-Biological Union of St. Luke, Discorsi e
Radiomessaggi, VI, pp. 191-192; to the Italian Association
of Catholic Midwives, AAS 43 (1951), pp. 835-854 (C.T.S.
translation, nn. 1-71); to the Association known as the
'Family Campaign' and other Family Associations, AAS 43
(1951), pp. 857-859 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 6-15); to the
seventh Congress of the International Society of Haematology,
AAS 50 (1958), pp. 734-735; John XXIII, Encycl. Mater et
Magistra, AAS 53 (1961), pp. 446-447 (C.T.S. translation,
nn. 188-192; Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the World of Today Gaudium et spes, nn. 47-52,
AAS 58 (1966), pp. 1067-1074; Code of Canon Law, Canons
1067, 1068 .1, Canon 1076.1-2.
- Cf. Paul VI, Address to the Sacred College
of Cardinals, AAS 56 (1964), p. 588; to the Commission for
the Study of Problems of Population, Family and Birth, AAS
57 (1965), p. 388; to the National Congress of the Italian
Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, AAS 58 (1966), p.
1168.
- Cf. 1 Jn 4:8.
- Eph 3:15.
- Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitutions
on the Church in the World of Today Gaudium et spes, n.
50, AAS 58 (1966), pp. 1070-1072.
- Cf. St. Thomas, Summa Theologica, I-II,
q. 94, art. 2.
- Cf. Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the World of Today Gaudium et spes, nn.
50-51, AAS 58 (1968), pp. 1070-1073.
- Cf. ibid., n. 49, AAS 58 (1966), p. 1070.
- Cf. Pius XI, Encycl. Casti Connubii,
AAS 22 (1930), p. 560 (C.T.S. translation, n. 56); Pius
XII, Address to Midwives, AAS 43 (1951), p. 843 (C.T.S.
translation, n. 24).
- Cf. John XXIII, Encycl. Mater et Magistra,
AAS 53 (1961), p. 447 (C.T.S. translation, n. 194).
- Cf. Council of Trent Roman Catechism,
Part II, ch. 8; Pius XI Encycl. Casti Connubii, AAS 22 (1930),
pp. 562-564 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 62-66); Pius XII, Address
to the Medico-Biological Union of St. Luke, Discorsi e Radiomessaggi,
VI, pp. 191-192; Address to Midwives, AAS 43 (1951), pp.
842-843 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 20-26); Address to the
'Family Campaign' and other Family Associations, AAS 43
(1951), pp. 857-859 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 6-15); John
XXIII, Encycl. Pacem in terris, AAS 55 (1963), pp. 259-260
(C.T.S. translation, nn. 8-13); Vatican Council II, Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the World of Today Gaudium
et spes, n. 51, AAS 58 (1966), p. 1072.
- Cf. Pius XI, Encycl. Casti Connubii,
AAS 22 (1930), p. 565 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 67-70); Decree
of the Holy Office, 22 Feb. 1940, AAS 32 (1940), p. 73;
Pius XII, Address to Midwives, AAS 43 (1951), pp. 843-844
(C.T.S. translation, nn. 24-28); to the Society of Haematology,
AAS 50 (1958), pp. 734-735.
- Cf. Council of Trent Roman Catechism,
Part II, ch. 8; Pius XI Encycl. Casti Connubii, AAS 22 (1930),
pp. 559-561 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 53-57); Pius XII, Address
to Midwives, AAS 43 (1951), pp. 843 (C.T.S. translation,
n. 24); to the Society of Haematology, AAS 50 (1958), pp.
734-735; John XXIII Mater et Magistra, AAS 53 (1961), p.
447 (C.T.S. translation, n. 193).
- Cf. Pius XII, Address to the National
Congress of the Italian Society of the Union of Catholic
Jurists, AAS 45 (1953), pp. 798-799.
- Cf. Rom 3:8.
- Cf. Pius XII, Address to the twenty-sixth
Congress of the Italian Association of Urology, AAS 45 (1953),
pp. 674-675; to the Society of Haematology, AAS 50 (1958),
pp. 734-735.
- Cf. Pius XII, Address to Midwives, AAS
43 (1951), p. 846 (C.T.S. translation n. 36).
- Cf. Pius XII, Address to the Association
of Urology, AAS 45 (1953), pp. 674-675; to Leaders and Members
of the Italian Association of 'corneae' donors and the Italian
Association of the Blind, AAS 48 (1956), pp. 461-462.
- Lk. 2:34.
- Cf. Paul VI, Encycl. Populorum progressio,
AAS 59 (1967), p. 268 (C.T.S. translation, n. 21).
- Cf. Rom 8.
- Cf. Vatican Council II, Decree on the
Means of Mass Communication Inter mirifica, nn. 6-7, AAS
56 (1964), p. 147.
- John XXIII, Encycl. Mater et Magistra,
AAS 53 (1961), p. 447 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 191-192).
- Cf. Paul VI, Encycl. Populorum progressio,
AAS 59 (1967), pp. 281-284 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 48-55).
- Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the World of Today Gaudium et spes, n.
52 AAS 58 (1966), p. 1074.
- Cf. Pius XII, Address to the 'Family
Campaign' and other Family Associations. AAS 43 (1951),
p. 859 (C.T.S. translation, nn. 14-15).
- Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the World of Today Gaudium et spes, n.
51 AAS 58 (1966), p. 1072.
- Cf. Mt. 11:30.
- Cf. Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the World of Today Gaudium et spes, n.
48 AAS 58 (1966), pp. 1067-1069; Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen gentium, n. 35 AAS 57 (1965), pp. 40-41.
- Mt 7:14; cf. Heb 12:11.
- Tit 2:12.
- 1 Cor 7:31.
- Rom 5:5.
- Eph 5:25, 28-29, 32-33.
- Cf. Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church Lumen gentium, n. 35, 41 AAS 57 (1965), pp.
40-45; Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World
of Today Gaudium et spes, n. 48-49 AAS 58 (1966) pp. 1067-1070;
Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem,
n. 11, AAS 58 (1966), pp. 847-849.
- Cf. Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church Lumen gentium, n. 25, AAS 57 (1965), pp. 29-31.
- 1 Cor 1:10.
- Cf. Jn 3:17.
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