From Humanae Vitae to Amoris Laetitia: 50 Years of Controversy over the Church's Doctrine on Birth Control

Like no other Pontifical document before and after, the Encyclical Humanae vitae of Paul VI unleashed controversial discussions that continue to this day. Questions continue to be raised about the moral status of different methods of birth regulation not only by married couples and theologians but a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lintner, Martin M. 1972- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Peeters [2018]
In: Marriage, families & spirituality
Year: 2018, Volume: 24, Issue: 1, Pages: 3-27
IxTheo Classification:KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
KDB Roman Catholic Church
NCF Sexual ethics
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Like no other Pontifical document before and after, the Encyclical Humanae vitae of Paul VI unleashed controversial discussions that continue to this day. Questions continue to be raised about the moral status of different methods of birth regulation not only by married couples and theologians but also by bishops. Fifty years after its publication, the continued questions suggest that the sensus fidei may be pointing toward the need for a doctrinal rethinking. The present article describes the origins of the encyclical, beginning from the decision of Paul VI to postpone discussion of the topic until after the Second Vatican Council. It presents the work of the various commissions that led up to the drafting of the encyclical. It then discusses the way in which Humanae vitae integrated and interpreted the teaching of Gaudium et spes. The article then studies the reception of the encyclical, showing how there was controversy about its position from the very beginning. It discusses how it was received in the teaching of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. Finally, the author takes up the challenge of Amoris laetitia, in which Pope Francis calls for a rediscovery of the message of Humanae vitae.
ISSN:2593-0486
Contains:Enthalten in: Marriage, families & spirituality
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2143/INT.24.1.3284963