So far in the Series entitled "On the Intrinsic Evil of
Contraception" I have posted five of the better articles available on this
subject.
In my first posting entitled The Catholic Tradition on the Morality of Contraception I indicated that it was a disturbing conversation with a fellow Catholic that led me to start this series and that the vast majority of clergy and laity in Canada have inherited a flawed understanding of the Magisterial teaching on contraception. The tragic result of clerical resistance and dissent to Church teaching on birth control dating back to the 1950’s and 1960’s—perhaps even earlier—has led to an actual cover-up of the fullness of truth on this moral teaching in the seminaries and parishes.
In my first posting entitled The Catholic Tradition on the Morality of Contraception I indicated that it was a disturbing conversation with a fellow Catholic that led me to start this series and that the vast majority of clergy and laity in Canada have inherited a flawed understanding of the Magisterial teaching on contraception. The tragic result of clerical resistance and dissent to Church teaching on birth control dating back to the 1950’s and 1960’s—perhaps even earlier—has led to an actual cover-up of the fullness of truth on this moral teaching in the seminaries and parishes.
This “conspiracy of silence” in itself is a shocking claim
but is the only possible explanation for what we see—and don’t see—taking place
in our Catholic communities.
The resistance by
Canadian Bishops to the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae, embodied quite
explicitly in the Winnipeg
Statement, has led to a virtual meltdown of the Canadian Catholic Church’s
moral authority with a resultant collapse of sexual ethics based on natural law
and Sacred Scripture.
And so I presented an article by Jesuit theologian Fr. John
A. Hardon which traces the unbroken history of the Church’s doctrine on
contraception and its reasons for declaring that artificial contraception is
forbidden by divine law. For many Catholics this article could well be the most
life changing text they ever read.
My second posting was entitled Children
Of The Reformation: A Short & Surprising History of Protestantism &
Contraception and includes an article of the same title by historian Alan
Carlson. Carlson explores “why the Protestant churches maintained unity with
the Catholic Church on the contraception question for four centuries, only to
abandon this unity during the first half of the twentieth century.” It is quite
remarkable how consistent was the Protestant leaders’ contempt for a practice
which they considered abominable and a great crime.
The indisputable conclusion which can be drawn from these
first two postings is that Christians universally for two thousand years have
shunned, scorned and outlawed the practice of contraception as a gross
violation of the law of God. How odd—and guileful—that Christians of our day
now think it to be an indispensable practice in full accord with the will of
God!
Part 3 of the Series was entitled Is
Contraception Gravely Sinful Matter? The fact is that most Catholics
obviously do not believe contraception to be gravely (mortally) sinful since
approximately the same proportion of Catholics as the rest of the population engage
in the practice. Furthermore they see no need to confess this as grave or obstinate
sin which could keep them from reception of the Eucharist.
Why is this?
The answer again is obvious. Their priests believe exactly the same thing in regard to contraception and through the “nod-nod-wink-wink” system of subterfuge, everyone learns how to get along without a whole lot of direct conversation on the matter. Most priests believe that the latest Church instruction, Humanae Vitae, on the subject was off base, not infallible teaching, based on faulty logic, etc., etc. They would consider the denial of contraceptive rights to husband and wife as a great hardship, even a cruelty. The claim that it is grave, mortal sin as well as an intrinsic evil they find to be an outrageous one.
Why is this?
The answer again is obvious. Their priests believe exactly the same thing in regard to contraception and through the “nod-nod-wink-wink” system of subterfuge, everyone learns how to get along without a whole lot of direct conversation on the matter. Most priests believe that the latest Church instruction, Humanae Vitae, on the subject was off base, not infallible teaching, based on faulty logic, etc., etc. They would consider the denial of contraceptive rights to husband and wife as a great hardship, even a cruelty. The claim that it is grave, mortal sin as well as an intrinsic evil they find to be an outrageous one.
To summarize, priests and Bishops know what the official
teaching of the Church is but they believe they know better (they’ve been taught
so in seminary and through peer experiences) and so their dissent is warranted
in their opinion.
Thus this posting simply buttresses the Church’s claim that
the practice of contraception is an intrinsically evil action and constitutes
grave moral wrongdoing. This verdict is infallible doctrine under the ordinary
and universal Magisterium; it is therefore irreformable doctrine and infallible
dogma.
Part 4 of the Series, Bishop’s
Letter To Catholic Couples and Physicians on Contraception provides us with
a look at the response of an obedient Catholic Bishop to the Church’s teaching
on contraception. Faced with a “contraceptive culture,” i.e. the widespread use
of contraception in the modern world and in his diocese, this Bishop fulfilled
his duty by warning the faithful of the spiritual dangers they faced in taking
a compromised position on contraception.
Understanding the constant and serious nature of the Church’s
doctrine on this subject, any “modern-day” Catholic might be positively baffled
to learn that this kind of forthright statement and episcopal care is a rarity
indeed. One can only wonder then whether the flock of Christ in our nation has
Bishops that love them or despise them.
In Part 5, Humanae Vitae: Ground Zero For Our Modern Contraceptive Society Part 5 of a Series, we examine the actual document issued by Pope Paul VI in 1968. This encyclical was the lightning rod for dissent and heresy in the Catholic West, but the ramifications of the dissent spilled over into society in tragic ways, just as the encyclical had indeed warned, should Catholic teaching on contraception be abandoned.
In Part 5, Humanae Vitae: Ground Zero For Our Modern Contraceptive Society Part 5 of a Series, we examine the actual document issued by Pope Paul VI in 1968. This encyclical was the lightning rod for dissent and heresy in the Catholic West, but the ramifications of the dissent spilled over into society in tragic ways, just as the encyclical had indeed warned, should Catholic teaching on contraception be abandoned.
This next posting in the series is entitled "Canada’s Bishops Reject Humanae Vitae: 40 Years After The
Disaster" and focuses on the devastation experienced in Canada over the course of
40 years beyond Humanae Vitae due to
the rebellion of Canadian Bishops. We
hear from Msgr. Vincent Foy, a 96 year-old priest, reflecting on Canada's
rejection of Pope Paul VI's teaching. Msgr. Foy notes:
"Pope John Paul II called dissent from Humanae Vitae the 'Great
Lie.' This lie remains in Canada like a festering, cancerous wound. Can it be
cured?"
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Introduction
Forty
years have passed since Pope Paul VI gave us the gift of the encyclical Humanae
Vitae.Signed on the Feast of St. James, July 25th, 1968, it was published
on July 29th, 1968. It was addressed to Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops and
all other local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Holy See and all the
Clergy and Faithful of the Catholic world, and to all Men of Good Will.
Three
times in the encyclical the Holy Father invoked the Petrine or divine authority
(n. 4, 6, and 31). He said that he intended to give his reply to the grave
questions concerning the regulation of births "by virtue of the mandate
entrusted to Us by Christ" (n. 6).
Tragically,
the authority of Christ was not enough. For forty years rebellion has been
widespread in Canada. For forty years we have experienced the deadly fruit of
turning away from Christ in the most critical area of Life and marital Love.
This fortieth anniversary is a suitable time to reflect on how the rejection of Humanae
Vitae came about, to consider the malign results of that rejection and
the way back to the Truth. Pope John Paul II called dissent from Humanae
Vitae the "Great Lie." This lie remains in Canada like a
festering, cancerous wound. Can it be cured?
The
Slippery Slope
It
will help to discover the way back to the Truth about Love and Life if we first
look backwards. All through the centuries the Church remained firm and constant
in teaching that contraception was a grave attack on human life. In his
encyclical on marriage of Dec. 31, 1930, Pope Pius XI referred to this teaching
"which has been handed down from the beginning until now." He called
contraception: "this abominable crime" and "this infamous
stain."
During
the depression of the 1930s the majority of Catholics remained faithful to the
Church's teaching. That teaching was confirmed universally by bishops, priests,
theologians and teachers.
All
that changed in the 1960s after the advent of the birth control Pill. Still
there was no change in the Church's teaching. Pope Pius XII condemned the contraceptive
use of the Pill on Sept. 12, 1958. In Vatican Council II married people were
taught that in their behaviour "They may not simply follow their own fancy
but must be ruled by conscience and conscience ought to be conformed to the law
of God in the light of the teaching authority of the Church" (Gaudium
et Spes n.50). Pope Paul VI confirmed the teaching of the Church in
1964 and 1966, calling it a time of study and not of doubt.
The
tragedy began when many bishops were seduced into listening to errant
theologians rather than the voice of Christ spoken to them through His Vicar.
They evidently forgot that theology is not the Faith. Theology can seduce,
betray and deceive, as it did through the mouths of many. Now we consider how
the betrayal of Truth came about in Canada. We examine the highlights, or
rather the lowlights, of that betrayal.
Cardinal
Leger
The
Church in Canada was already heading down the slippery slope to dissent at
Vatican II. Influenced by Cardinal Suenens, on Oct. 30, 1964 Cardinal Leger
said: "Confessors are assailed by doubts. They no longer know what to
answer." He also said "Fecundity is an obligation. But we should
concentrate less on the fecundity of each sexual act and more on the totality
of married life . . . We must affirm that the intimate union of the couple
finds its legitimacy in itself when it is not directed toward
procreation."
The
Book "Contraception and Holiness"
That
same year, 1964, a book was published by Herder and Herder, which further
underlined that all was not right in Canada. It was called "Contraception and Holiness" and
called for a change in the Church's teaching on contraception. Among the
contributors were three professors at St. Michael's College: Gregory Baum, OSA,
Stanley Kutz, CSB, and Leslie Dewart.
The
Toronto Conference on the Theology of Renewal
A
congress on the Theology of the Renewal of the Church was held in Toronto in
1967. It was heavily loaded with speakers who were agitating for change in the
Church’s teaching against contraception. Among these were Cardinal Leger,
Cardinal Suenens, Edward Schillebeeckx, OP, Karl Rahner, SJ, Bernard Haring,
CSsR, Bernard Lonergan, SJ, and Enda McDonagh (called by some the
"Maynooth Pope of Modernism"). The only speaker who defended the
Church’s teaching was Elizabeth Anscombe. Fr. Haring saw the teaching against
contraception as coming from a pre-scientific mind appropriate to a former
society. Thus again, Canada was being led down the slippery slope towards the
contraceptive mentality.
The
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)
On
Sept. 9, 1966, the CCCB addressed a document "To the House of Commons
Standing Committee on Health and Welfare: on Change in the Law of
Contraception." The bishops said in part: "We consider Article 150,
which forbids giving information about contraception, as well as the sale or
distribution of contraception an inadequate law to day . . . a large number of
our fellow citizens believe that this law violates their rights to be informed
and helped towards responsible parenthood in accordance with their personal
beliefs."
They
went so far as to say "We do not conceive it our duty to oppose
appropriate change in Article 150 of the Criminal Code. Indeed, we could easily
envisage an active co-operation and even leadership on the part of lay
Catholics to change a law which under present conditions they might well judge
to be harmful to public order and the common good."
This
incredible betrayal of Catholic teaching on the intrinsic evil of contraception
was a factor in the passing of a bill by the Liberal government under Pierre
Trudeau, legalizing contraception (June 27, 1969). The Canadian Federation for
Sexual Health commented: "Surprisingly, the Canadian Catholic Conference
of the Roman Catholic Church did not oppose the law, stating that Canada was a
pluralistic society, but that Roman Catholics should not practise
contraception." The CCCB did not affirm that no one should practise
contraception. In other words, they failed to affirm that the law against
contraception was a divine natural law binding all.
Archbishop
Plourde of Ottawa
In
August of 1968 Archbishop Plourde of Ottawa issued a pastoral letter on Humanae
Vitae.He said that individuals have the right "to reach a judgement
different from that of the Holy Father."
Gregory
Baum
In the
summer of 1968, Gregory Baum kept up his campaign against Humanae Vitaethrough
lectures, writings and interviews. He said Catholics could use contraception in
good conscience. He attacked the Pope for going against "the Christian
experience of vast numbers of Catholics and the witness of other Christian
Churches."
Pressure
Groups
After Humanae
Vitae, pressure groups sprung up like mushrooms. Among these were the
Western Conference of priests, armed with a letter of support for dissent by
Fr. Bernard Lonergan, SJ, the Catholic Physicians Guild of Manitoba, Catholics
in Dialogue, the Canadian Institute of Theology and 58
"intellectuals" of St. Francis Xavier University ("the cream of
Antigonish" their Bishop said.) The chant of all was "Give us Freedom
of Conscience."
Most
significant and most disgraceful was that fifteen Directors of the departments
of the Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops betrayed their offices and
signed what one could call a "Pre-Winnipeg" Statement. They asked for
a "Vatican II approach." They said that a large number of Canadian
priests were agonizing "in acute crises of conscience" because of the
"apparent directives of Humanae Vitae." In all my
experience I never met a priest suffering from such an acute crisis of
conscience.
So the
stage was set for the great Winnipeg betrayal of the Catholics of Canada.
The
Winnipeg Disaster
The
slippery slope led down to the Winnipeg Disaster of Friday Sept. 27th, 1968. On
that date the Canadian bishops published a Statement on Humanae Vitae. After
denying the sufficiency of grace for some (n.17) the bishops embraced the error
of allowing married couples to break God's law by the subterfuge of the
subjective conscience. They said there were circumstances in which the couples
"may be safely assured that whoever honestly chooses that course which
seems right to him does so in good conscience" (n.26).
In
1969, Father John Flanagan, founder of the International Catholic Priests'
Association, wrote a perceptive analysis of this device. He said "Among
the many attempts to create a loophole through which the dissident cleric or
lay person endeavours to escape from the moral obligation of accepting the
Papal decision on birth control, recourse to (pseudo) conscience, is the most
widespread and deceptive. It is an escape hatch through which Bishops, priests,
and lay folk still try to come to the top through their sunken hopes that the
law against contraception would be changed."
So it
was and is in Canada.
The
Moloch Generation
In the
book of Leviticus (18:21) we read "You shall not give any of your children
to devote them by fire to Moloch, and so profane the Name of your God." In
the same book (20:2) we read: "The Lord said to Moses: 'Say to the people
of Israel: any man of the people of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in
Israel, who gives any of his children to Moloch shall be put to death; the
people of the land shall stone him with stones."
We do
not know how many children were thrown into the fire to appease the pagan god
Moloch. We do know that the number pales into insignificance beside the numbers
now sacrificed to the god of lust, the new Moloch. Every year millions are
ripped apart in the womb or through the Pill or other abortifacient devices
sent to sewer tombs. It is a horror crying to Heaven for vengeance. "Where
is your brother?" said God to Cain after he had slain his brother Abel.
"Where are your brothers and sisters?" says God to us today. Can we
not call this the Moloch Generation and is not Canada a fully qualified member?
The
worshippers of the god of Lust have begotten a long list of illegitimate
offspring. These are the fruits of which contraception is the root:
fornication, adultery, homosexual conduct, broken marriages, divorce,
degradation of women, abortion, pornography, lack of vocations to the
priesthood and religious life, loss of Faith and many more. Moloch reigns!
Loss
of the Sense of Sin
A
characteristic of the Moloch Generation is a loss of the sense of sin. If one
can absolve oneself of guilt in practising contraception why not from other
breaches of the moral law? Are such breaches not progeny of the same parent:
sex without responsibility?
The
contraceptive mentality brought with it a grave depreciation of the evil of
killing or preventing offspring. Even in the past century contraception was
sometimes a reserved sin; that is, a confessor had to apply to his bishop for
the special faculty to absolve from it and for the penance to be imposed for
what is a heinous crime.
Compare
recent penances for contraceptive activity with that of past centuries. Note
also that in former centuries the penances were often the same for contraception
and abortion. Did they not both share a willingness to sacrifice a human person
to lust? We know how seriously anti-life activity was considered when we read
ancient penitentials: books which contained suggested penances to be given by
confessors. One Frankish Penitential (c.1067) recommends a ten-year fast for
those who took potions to avoid conception or to procure abortion. Another
penitential of about the same time suggests a fast of two years on bread and
water.
Another
disastrous effect of self-absolution has been the virtual disappearance of the
Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. Before the prevalence of dissent most
Catholics went to Confession frequently, often monthly or weekly. In the
encyclical Mystici Corporisof 1943, Pope Pius XII pointed out the
many advantages of frequent confession of devotion, i.e., when there was no
serious sin. Children were trained in frequent confession in all Catholic
schools.
Now in
Canada the majority of Catholics who practise contraception and still go to
Mass also receive Holy Communion.
The
Way Back
As
Cardinal Newman wrote in a private letter: "It is very difficult to put
right what was once put wrong." So it is with dissent from Humanae
Vitae. It is very difficult to replace the self-centred mentality of
the Moloch generation with the self-giving mindset which leads to the truth
about Love and Life. We have a guide in the third section of Humanae
Vitae called "Pastoral Directives." Reflecting on these
directives one could suggest the following ways to resuscitate the dying Church
in Canada.
Bishops
In Humanae
Vitae, n.30, there is an exhortation to bishops. There we read
"Work ardently and incessantly for the safeguarding and holiness of
marriage — Consider this mission as one of your most urgent responsibilities at
the present time."
This
exhortation tells us that it is a most urgent responsibility of our Canadian
bishops to seek to undo the betrayal of the Winnipeg Statement. Canadian
Catholics have a right to ask their bishops for a revocation of that Statement
which has led to what has been called a "madhouse of subjectivism."
In
concrete terms it is not defiance of our bishops but love of the episcopacy
which leads Catholics to ask our bishops to restore orthodoxy. This includes
teaching in our schools and universities and seminaries. It includes correcting
errors in marriage preparation courses. It includes stopping sterilization and
prescription of contraceptive means in our Catholic hospitals. It includes
working towards recall of intrinsically immoral civil legislation. It includes
proper formation of confessors.
Great
indeed would be the gratitude of Catholics if our bishops had the humility,
courage and Faith to revoke the Winnipeg Statement. They would be following the
bishops in the Philippines and the Austrian Bishops. The latter announced on
March 29, 1988 that they were recalling their Statement of 1968 and were in
complete harmony with the teaching ofHumanae Vitae and Familaris
Consortio and the teaching on human life of Pope John Paul II.
Priests
Vital
as auxiliaries of our Bishops are our priests in the effort to find the Way
Back. The Holy Father says to priests: "In performing your ministry you
must give an example of the sincere obedience that must be given inwardly and
outwardly to the Magisterium of the Church" (H.V. n.28). He calls upon
priests to teach the Church's doctrine on life without compromise. He reminds
priests that "refusal to compromise anything concerning the saving
doctrine of Christ is an outstanding act of charity to souls" (ibid.
n.29).
From
the pulpit, in the confessional, in marriage preparation, in instructions and
joining in the apostolate of Priests for Life, by supporting all pro-life
initiatives, priests can play a major part in the rescue of the precious sons and
daughters of God.
The
Laity
Essential
to the Way Back is the part of the laity. To them, God has given the gift of
marriage with its unitive and procreative nature. They have the evangelical
vocation of restoring the Culture of Life. Forty years after Humanae
Vitae more and more laity in Canada recognize the necessity of
correcting the Winnipeg Statement. Among these dedicated labourers, too
numerous to mention by name, are groups and individuals. Their prayers,
petitions, articles, letters and lives will surely hasten the day when the
truth about Life is universally taught and generally practised in Canada.
The
Pro-Life Movement
A
major factor in the Way Back is the pro-life movement. As Dr. Charles Rice,
professor of Notre Dame, said twenty years ago, the greatest mistake of the
pro-life movement was to more or less ignore the contraceptive mentality. All
the marches, conferences, books and articles of the pro-life apostolate are
barren exercises unless the evil of contraception is confronted and overcome.
This is not to say that the attack on abortion is to be neglected but that the
cause of abortion be clearly recognized. This does not mean that non-Catholics
are to be excluded from the pro-life movement in Canada. It does mean that all
pro-life fruitful members be opposed to contraception and sterilization. It
must be recognized that contraception is not a Catholic evil but a universal
evil, an intrinsic evil, and a violation of divine natural law to which all owe
obedience. Abortion is a death-dealing symptom, the contraception mentality the
cause. Death from the Pill or scalpel is the ultimate contraception. We note
that Humanae Vitae is not addressed only to Catholics but to
all of good will.
Spiritual
Means
"Without
Me you can do nothing" Christ tells us. Grace is essential to find the Way
Back. Bishops need grace to rightly shepherd, priests to preach and counsel,
teachers to teach, laity to live the Way of Life. Those in the death grip of
contraceptive practise need the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through admission
of guilt and confession souls can be diverted from the Path of Death to the
Path of Life. Then comes Eucharistic devotion. This includes the Sacrifice of
the Mass, Holy Communion and Eucharistic Adoration.
As
prayer is essential to salvation, it is essential for the return to grace from
the murder and prevention of children. Humane Vitae says to
spouses "let them implore divine assistance by persevering prayer"
(n.25). Let them call upon the actual graces to which they are entitled by
their entrance into matrimony. "Christian married couples . . . must
remember that their Christian vocation, which began at baptism, is further
specified and reinforced by the sacrament of matrimony" (ibid.).
Step
by step, inch by inch, by prayer, the Sacrament of Penance, practised by more
and more Canadians, Canada can be brought to the glorious realisation of Humanae
Vitae loved and lived.
End
Notes
From
dissent to disaster is the history of the rejection of Humanae Vitae in
Canada. The Church in Canada is positioned for spiritual ruin, bleeding from
the killing and prevention of the young. It is written in the Old Testament
record of idolatry to Moloch in Psalm 106:
"They
shed the blood of the innocent,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they offered to the idols of Canaan."
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they offered to the idols of Canaan."
Yet
there is hope on this 40th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae. God's
grace, always sufficient, will be given mercifully and generously if there are
faithful bishops, priests, religious, and laity prayerful and ready to make the
sacrifices required. Then more and more spouses will be of the good will
necessary to receive the Truth. To such spouses the Lord "entrusts the
mission of making manifest to Man the holiness and indeed sweetness of the law
that unites their mutual love and generous service closely to the love of God,
the author of human life"(Humanae Vitae, n.25).
We
must remember that Moses did not take his own laws to God on the holy mountain
— God gave His laws to man. God does not say "You may do what seems right
to you" but, out of loving concern: "Do this and you shall live in
love forever."
In
Rome, in the Church of Gesu there is an ancient fresco to Our Lady of the Way.
We pray that Our Lady of the Way may help Canada find its way back to the truth
about Life and Love.
Dear
Canadians, thank God for Humanae Vitae.
© SoCon
Or Bust
http://www.socon.ca/
1 comment:
Martin luthor was opposed to contraception but he hailed in contrast to the pope & Catholic church insight that sex in marriage is good.The Catholic farce is that for centuries popes hailed sex in marriage as a necessary evil tainted with sin.This is a long hangover from the idiotic early church fathers who hailed sex in marriage as unworthy if not actually sinful.Why not maintain this constant so called tradition ???But the real church---the people Of God rejects this.Just like it rejected papal condemnations of charging interest on a loan or democracy etc.The Catholic hierrachical view of sexuality from a historical point of view is a disgrace
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