In 1968, a commission built to advise Pope Pius VI recommended that the Catholic Church officially change its stance on contraception. But the Pope, refusing to bow to public pressure, instead released his encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (“On Human Life”) reaffirming the Church’s opposition to abortion, contraception, and euthanasia.
In part one of our series on “Humanae Vitae”, Bishop Wall examines the prophetic vision of Pope Paul VI and the negative consequences he foresaw for any society that rejects the value of human life in all its stages.
Topics Discussed:
00:50 – What exactly is an encyclical?
01:15 – Who was Pope Paul VI and why did he write Humanae Vitae?
07:35: Pope Paul VI’s four major predictions:
- An increase in infidelity and moral decline
- Loss of respect for women and an increase of sexual crimes
- Greater abuse of power
- Unlimited dominion over one’s body
References:
Humanae Vitae: Full encyclical
Pope Paul VI As Prophet: Have Humanae Vitae’s Bold Predictions Come True?
The Lambeth conference and Anglican Acceptance of Birth Control and Abortion
Pope Francis on Idealogical Colonization
Note: The overall number of abortions obtained, both worldwide and nationally, is a broad statistic to attack. In the United State we have seen the numbers decrease somewhat since 2010, but overall many abortions are still obtained by women who had used some form of contraception. Link 1 Link 2
The troubling history of birth control
Environmental effects of birth control
Belgium legalizing euthanasia for minors
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Thanks for listening!
Outro music: Springish by Gillicuddy