HUMANAE VITAE
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI ON THE REGULATION OF BIRTH (Vatican
Translation)
JULY 25, 1968
CONTENTS
1. The Transmission of Life
I. Problem and Competency of the Magisterium
3.
New Questions
4. Interpreting the Moral Law
5. Special Studies
6. The Magisterium's Reply
II. Doctrinal Principles
8. God's Loving Design
9. Married Love
10. Responsible Parenthood
11. Observing the Natural Law
12. Union and Procreation
13. Faithfulness to God's Design
14. Unlawful Birth Control Methods
15. Lawful Therapeutic Means
16. Recourse to Infertile Periods
17. Consequences of Artificial Methods
Limit to Man's Power
18. Concern of the Church
III. Pastoral Directives
21. Value of
Self-Discipline
22. Promotion of Chastity
23. Appeal to Public Authorities
Seeking True Solutions
24. To Scientists
25. To Christian Couples
Recourse to God
26. Family Apostolate
27. To Doctors and Nurses
28. To Priests
29. Christian Compassion
30.To Bishops
31. A Great Work
Notes
To His
Venerable Brothers the Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops and other Local
Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See, to the Clergy and
Faithful of the Whole Catholic World, and to All Men of Good Will.
Honored
Brothers and Dear Sons, Health and Apostolic Benediction.
The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which
married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has
always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many
difficulties and hardships.
The
fulfillment of this duty has always posed problems to the conscience of married
people, but the recent course of human society and the concomitant changes have
provoked new questions. The Church cannot ignore these questions, for they
concern matters intimately connected with the life and happiness of human
beings.
I. PROBLEM AND
COMPETENCY OF THE MAGISTERIUM
2. The changes
that have taken place are of considerable importance and varied in nature. In
the first place there is the rapid increase in population which has made many
fear that world population is going to grow faster than available resources,
with the consequence that many families and developing countries would be faced
with greater hardships. This can easily induce public authorities to be tempted
to take even harsher measures to avert this danger. There is also the fact that
not only working and housing conditions but the greater demands made both in the
economic and educational field pose a living situation in which it is frequently
difficult these days to provide properly for a large family.
Also
noteworthy is a new understanding of the dignity of woman and her place in
society, of the value of conjugal love in marriage and the relationship of
conjugal acts to this love.
But the most
remarkable development of all is to be seen in man's stupendous progress in the
domination and rational organization of the forces of nature to the point that
he is endeavoring to extend this control over every aspect of his own life—over
his body, over his mind and emotions, over his social life, and even over the
laws that regulate the transmission of life.
New Questions
3. This new
state of things gives rise to new questions. Granted the conditions of life
today and taking into account the relevance of married love to the harmony and
mutual fidelity of husband and wife, would it not be right to review the moral
norms in force till now, especially when it is felt that these can be observed
only with the gravest difficulty, sometimes only by heroic effort?
Moreover, if
one were to apply here the so called principle of totality, could it not be
accepted that the intention to have a less prolific but more rationally planned
family might transform an action which renders natural processes infertile into
a licit and provident control of birth? Could it not be admitted, in other
words, that procreative finality applies to the totality of married life rather
than to each single act? A further question is whether, because people are more
conscious today of their responsibilities, the time has not come when the
transmission of life should be regulated by their intelligence and will rather
than through the specific rhythms of their own bodies.
Interpreting the Moral
Law
4. This kind
of question requires from the teaching authority of the Church a new and deeper
reflection on the principles of the moral teaching on marriage—a teaching which
is based on the natural law as illuminated and enriched by divine Revelation.
No member of the faithful could possibly deny that the Church is competent in
her magisterium to interpret the natural moral law. It is in fact indisputable,
as Our predecessors have many times declared, (l) that Jesus Christ, when He
communicated His divine power to Peter and the other Apostles and sent them to
teach all nations His commandments, (2) constituted them as the authentic
guardians and interpreters of the whole moral law, not only, that is, of the law
of the Gospel but also of the natural law. For the natural law, too, declares
the will of God, and its faithful observance is necessary for men's eternal
salvation. (3)
In carrying
out this mandate, the Church has always issued appropriate documents on the
nature of marriage, the correct use of conjugal rights, and the duties of
spouses. These documents have been more copious in recent times. (4)
Special Studies
5. The
consciousness of the same responsibility induced Us to confirm and expand the
commission set up by Our predecessor Pope John XXIII, of happy memory, in March,
1963. This commission included married couples as well as many experts in the
various fields pertinent to these questions. Its task was to examine views and
opinions concerning married life, and especially on the correct regulation of
births; and it was also to provide the teaching authority of the Church with
such evidence as would enable it to give an apt reply in this matter, which not
only the faithful but also the rest of the world were waiting for. (5)
When the
evidence of the experts had been received, as well as the opinions and advice of
a considerable number of Our brethren in the episcopate—some of whom sent their
views spontaneously, while others were requested by Us to do so—We were in a
position to weigh with more precision all the aspects of this complex subject.
Hence We are deeply grateful to all those concerned.
The Magisterium's Reply
6. However, the conclusions arrived at by the commission could not be considered
by Us as definitive and absolutely certain, dispensing Us from the duty of
examining personally this serious question. This was all the more necessary
because, within the commission itself, there was not complete agreement
concerning the moral norms to be proposed, and especially because certain
approaches and criteria for a solution to this question had emerged which were
at variance with the moral doctrine on marriage constantly taught by the
magisterium of the Church.
Consequently,
now that We have sifted carefully the evidence sent to Us and intently studied
the whole matter, as well as prayed constantly to God, We, by virtue of the
mandate entrusted to Us by Christ, intend to give Our reply to this series of
grave questions.
II. DOCTRINAL
PRINCIPLES
7. The
question of human procreation, like every other question which touches human
life, involves more than the limited aspects specific to such disciplines as
biology, psychology, demography or sociology. It is the whole man and the whole
mission to which he is called that must be considered: both its natural, earthly
aspects and its supernatural, eternal aspects. And since in the attempt to
justify artificial methods of birth control many appeal to the demands of
married love or of responsible parenthood, these two important realities of
married life must be accurately defined and analyzed. This is what We mean to
do, with special reference to what the Second Vatican Council taught with the
highest authority in its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World of
Today.
God's Loving Design
8. Married
love particularly reveals its true nature and nobility when we realize that it
takes its origin from God, who "is love," (6) the Father "from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named." (7)
Marriage,
then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind
evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution
of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a
consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves, which is
specific and exclusive to them alone, develop that union of two persons in which
they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of
new lives.
The marriage
of those who have been baptized is, in addition, invested with the dignity of a
sacramental sign of grace, for it represents the union of Christ and His Church.
Married Love
9. In the
light of these facts the characteristic features and exigencies of married love
are clearly indicated, and it is of the highest importance to evaluate them
exactly.
This love is
above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a
question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an
act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive
the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife
become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human
fulfillment.
It is a love
which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband
and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and
not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner
loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner's
own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.
Married love
is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death. This is how
husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they
were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage. Though this
fidelity of husband and wife sometimes presents difficulties, no one has the
right to assert that it is impossible; it is, on the contrary, always honorable
and meritorious. The example of countless married couples proves not only that
fidelity is in accord with the nature of marriage, but also that it is the
source of profound and enduring happiness.
Finally, this
love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband
and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being.
"Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation
and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and
contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare." (8)
Responsible Parenthood
10. Married
love, therefore, requires of husband and wife the full awareness of their
obligations in the matter of responsible parenthood, which today, rightly
enough, is much insisted upon, but which at the same time should be rightly
understood. Thus, we do well to consider responsible parenthood in the light of
its varied legitimate and interrelated aspects.
With regard to
the biological processes, responsible parenthood means an awareness of, and
respect for, their proper functions. In the procreative faculty the human mind
discerns biological laws that apply to the human person. (9)
With regard to
man's innate drives and emotions, responsible parenthood means that man's reason
and will must exert control over them.
With regard to
physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood
is exercised by those who prudently and generously decide to have more children,
and by those who, for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts,
decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite
period of time.
Responsible
parenthood, as we use the term here, has one further essential aspect of
paramount importance. It concerns the objective moral order which was
established by God, and of which a right conscience is the true interpreter. In
a word, the exercise of responsible parenthood requires that husband and wife,
keeping a right order of priorities, recognize their own duties toward God,
themselves, their families and human society.
From this it
follows that they are not free to act as they choose in the service of
transmitting life, as if it were wholly up to them to decide what is the right
course to follow. On the contrary, they are bound to ensure that what they do
corresponds to the will of God the Creator. The very nature of marriage and its
use makes His will clear, while the constant teaching of the Church spells it
out. (10)
Observing the Natural
Law
11. The sexual
activity, in which husband and wife are intimately and chastely united with one
another, through which human life is transmitted, is, as the recent Council
recalled, "noble and worthy.'' (11) It does not, moreover, cease to be
legitimate even when, for reasons independent of their will, it is foreseen to
be infertile. For its natural adaptation to the expression and strengthening of
the union of husband and wife is not thereby suppressed. The fact is, as
experience shows, that new life is not the result of each and every act of
sexual intercourse. God has wisely ordered laws of nature and the incidence of
fertility in such a way that successive births are already naturally spaced
through the inherent operation of these laws. The Church, nevertheless, in
urging men to the observance of the precepts of the natural law, which it
interprets by its constant doctrine, teaches that each and every marital act
must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human
life. (12)
Union and Procreation
12. This particular doctrine, often expounded by the magisterium of the Church,
is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own
initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative
significance which are both inherent to the marriage act.
The reason is that the fundamental nature of the marriage act, while uniting
husband and wife in the closest intimacy, also renders them capable of
generating new life—and this as a result of laws written into the actual nature
of man and of woman. And if each of these essential qualities, the unitive and
the procreative, is preserved, the use of marriage fully retains its sense of
true mutual love and its ordination to the supreme responsibility of parenthood
to which man is called. We believe that our contemporaries are particularly
capable of seeing that this teaching is in harmony with human reason.
Faithfulness to God's
Design
13. Men
rightly observe that a conjugal act imposed on one's partner without regard to
his or her condition or personal and reasonable wishes in the matter, is no true
act of love, and therefore offends the moral order in its particular application
to the intimate relationship of husband and wife. If they further reflect, they
must also recognize that an act of mutual love which impairs the capacity to
transmit life which God the Creator, through specific laws, has built into it,
frustrates His design which constitutes the norm of marriage, and contradicts
the will of the Author of life. Hence to use this divine gift while depriving
it, even if only partially, of its meaning and purpose, is equally repugnant to
the nature of man and of woman, and is consequently in opposition to the plan of
God and His holy will. But to experience the gift of married love while
respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not the master
of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the
Creator. Just as man does not have unlimited dominion over his body in general,
so also, and with more particular reason, he has no such dominion over his
specifically sexual faculties, for these are concerned by their very nature with
the generation of life, of which God is the source. "Human life is sacred—all
men must recognize that fact," Our predecessor Pope John XXIII recalled. "From
its very inception it reveals the creating hand of God." (13)
Unlawful Birth Control
Methods
14. Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian
doctrine of marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct
interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct
abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful
means of regulating the number of children. (14) Equally to be condemned, as the
magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct
sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or
temporary. (15)
Similarly
excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual
intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end
or as a means. (16)
Neither is it
valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately
contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that
such intercourse would merge with procreative acts of past and future to form a
single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these.
Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in
order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is
never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it
(18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature
contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man,
even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual,
of a family or of society in general. Consequently, it is a serious error to
think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual
intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.
Lawful Therapeutic Means
15. On the
other hand, the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those
therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable
impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is
not directly intended for any motive whatsoever. (19)
Recourse to Infertile
Periods
16. Now as We
noted earlier (no. 3), some people today raise the objection against this
particular doctrine of the Church concerning the moral laws governing marriage,
that human intelligence has both the right and responsibility to control those
forces of irrational nature which come within its ambit and to direct them
toward ends beneficial to man. Others ask on the same point whether it is not
reasonable in so many cases to use artificial birth control if by so doing the
harmony and peace of a family are better served and more suitable conditions are
provided for the education of children already born. To this question We must
give a clear reply. The Church is the first to praise and commend the
application of human intelligence to an activity in which a rational creature
such as man is so closely associated with his Creator. But she affirms that this
must be done within the limits of the order of reality established by God.
If therefore
there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or
psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the
Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles
immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only
during those times that are infertile, thus controlling birth in a way which
does not in the least offend the moral principles which We have just explained.
(20)
Neither the
Church nor her doctrine is inconsistent when she considers it lawful for married
people to take advantage of the infertile period but condemns as always unlawful
the use of means which directly prevent conception, even when the reasons given
for the later practice may appear to be upright and serious. In reality, these
two cases are completely different. In the former the married couple rightly use
a faculty provided them by nature. In the latter they obstruct the natural
development of the generative process. It cannot be denied that in each case the
married couple, for acceptable reasons, are both perfectly clear in their
intention to avoid children and wish to make sure that none will result. But it
is equally true that it is exclusively in the former case that husband and wife
are ready to abstain from intercourse during the fertile period as often as for
reasonable motives the birth of another child is not desirable. And when the
infertile period recurs, they use their married intimacy to express their mutual
love and safeguard their fidelity toward one another. In doing this they
certainly give proof of a true and authentic love.
Consequences of
Artificial Methods
17.
Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine
laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of
methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how
easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and
a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully
aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the
young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law,
and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another
effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use
of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and,
disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere
instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as
his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.
Finally,
careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into
the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the
moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the
problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are
regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family
difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those
contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard
this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well
happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social
life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined
to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to
intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.
Limits to Man's Power
Consequently,
unless we are willing that the responsibility of procreating life should be left
to the arbitrary decision of men, we must accept that there are certain limits,
beyond which it is wrong to go, to the power of man over his own body and its
natural functions—limits, let it be said, which no one, whether as a private
individual or as a public authority, can lawfully exceed. These limits are
expressly imposed because of the reverence due to the whole human organism and
its natural functions, in the light of the principles We stated earlier, and in
accordance with a correct understanding of the "principle of totality"
enunciated by Our predecessor Pope Pius XII. (21)
Concern of the Church
18. It is to
be anticipated that perhaps not everyone will easily accept this particular
teaching. There is too much clamorous outcry against the voice of the Church,
and this is intensified by modern means of communication. But it comes as no
surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder, is destined to
be a "sign of contradiction." (22) She does not, because of this, evade the duty
imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both
natural and evangelical.
Since the
Church did not make either of these laws, she cannot be their arbiter—only their
guardian and interpreter. It could never be right for her to declare lawful what
is in fact unlawful, since that, by its very nature, is always opposed to the
true good of man.
In preserving
intact the whole moral law of marriage, the Church is convinced that she is
contributing to the creation of a truly human civilization. She urges man not to
betray his personal responsibilities by putting all his faith in technical
expedients. In this way she defends the dignity of husband and wife. This course
of action shows that the Church, loyal to the example and teaching of the divine
Savior, is sincere and unselfish in her regard for men whom she strives to help
even now during this earthly pilgrimage "to share God's life as sons of the
living God, the Father of all men." (23)
III. PASTORAL
DIRECTIVES
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, they did not also
support mankind in the honest regulation of birth amid the difficult conditions
which today afflict families and peoples. The Church, in fact, cannot act
differently toward men than did the Redeemer. She knows their weaknesses, she
has compassion on the multitude, she welcomes sinners. But at the same time she
cannot do otherwise than teach the law. For it is in fact the law of human life
restored to its native truth and guided by the Spirit of God. (24) Observing the
Divine Law.
20. The
teaching of the Church regarding the proper regulation of birth is a
promulgation of the law of God Himself. And yet there is no doubt that to many
it will appear not merely difficult but even impossible to observe. Now it is
true that like all good things which are outstanding for their nobility and for
the benefits which they confer on men, so this law demands from individual men
and women, from families and from human society, a resolute purpose and great
endurance. Indeed it cannot be observed unless God comes to their help with the
grace by which the goodwill of men is sustained and strengthened. But to those
who consider this matter diligently it will indeed be evident that this
endurance enhances man's dignity and confers benefits on human society.
Value of Self-Discipline
21. The right
and lawful ordering of birth demands, first of all, that spouses fully recognize
and value the true blessings of family life and that they acquire complete
mastery over themselves and their emotions. For if with the aid of reason and of
free will they are to control their natural drives, there can be no doubt at all
of the need for self-denial. Only then will the expression of love, essential to
married life, conform to right order. This is especially clear in the practice
of periodic continence. Self-discipline of this kind is a shining witness to the
chastity of husband and wife and, far from being a hindrance to their love of
one another, transforms it by giving it a more truly human character. And if
this self-discipline does demand that they persevere in their purpose and
efforts, it has at the same time the salutary effect of enabling husband and
wife to develop to their personalities and to be enriched with spiritual
blessings. For it brings to family life abundant fruits of tranquility and
peace. It helps in solving difficulties of other kinds. It fosters in husband
and wife thoughtfulness and loving consideration for one another. It helps them
to repel inordinate self-love, which is the opposite of charity. It arouses in
them a consciousness of their responsibilities. And finally, it confers upon
parents a deeper and more effective influence in the education of their
children. As their children grow up, they develop a right sense of values and
achieve a serene and harmonious use of their mental and physical powers.
Promotion of Chastity
22. We take
this opportunity to address those who are engaged in education and all those
whose right and duty it is to provide for the common good of human society. We
would call their attention to the need to create an atmosphere favorable to the
growth of chastity so that true liberty may prevail over license and the norms
of the moral law may be fully safeguarded.
Everything
therefore in the modern means of social communication which arouses men's baser
passions and encourages low moral standards, as well as every obscenity in the
written word and every form of indecency on the stage and screen, should be
condemned publicly and unanimously by all those who have at heart the advance of
civilization and the safeguarding of the outstanding values of the human spirit.
It is quite absurd to defend this kind of depravity in the name of art or
culture (25) or by pleading the liberty which may be allowed in this field by
the public authorities.
Appeal to Public
Authorities
23. And now We
wish to speak to rulers of nations. To you most of all is committed the
responsibility of safeguarding the common good. You can contribute so much to
the preservation of morals. We beg of you, never allow the morals of your
peoples to be undermined. The family is the primary unit in the state; do not
tolerate any legislation which would introduce into the family those practices
which are opposed to the natural law of God. For there are other ways by which a
government can and should solve the population problem—that is to say by
enacting laws which will assist families and by educating the people wisely so
that the moral law and the freedom of the citizens are both safeguarded.
Seeking True Solutions
We are fully aware of the difficulties confronting the public authorities in
this matter, especially in the developing countries. In fact, We had in mind the
justifiable anxieties which weigh upon them when We published Our encyclical
letter Populorum Progressio. But now We join Our voice to that of Our
predecessor John XXIII of venerable memory, and We make Our own his words: "No
statement of the problem and no solution to it is acceptable which does violence
to man's essential dignity; those who propose such solutions base them on an
utterly materialistic conception of man himself and 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) No one can, without being grossly
unfair, make divine Providence responsible for what clearly seems to be the
result of misguided governmental policies, of an insufficient sense of social
justice, of a selfish accumulation of material goods, and finally of a culpable
failure to undertake those initiatives and responsibilities which would raise
the standard of living of peoples and their children. (27) If only all
governments which were able would do what some are already doing so nobly, and
bestir themselves to renew their efforts and their undertakings! There must be
no relaxation in the programs of mutual aid between all the branches of the
great human family. Here We believe an almost limitless field lies open for the
activities of the great international institutions.
To Scientists
24. Our next
appeal is to men of science. These can "considerably advance the welfare of
marriage and the family and also peace of conscience, if by pooling their
efforts they strive to elucidate more thoroughly the conditions favorable to a
proper regulation of births." (28) It is supremely desirable, and this was also
the mind of Pius XII, that medical science should by the study of natural
rhythms succeed in determining a sufficiently secure basis for the chaste
limitation of offspring. (29) In this way scientists, especially those who are
Catholics, will by their research establish the truth of the Church's claim that
"there can be no contradiction between two divine laws—that which governs the
transmitting of life and that which governs the fostering of married love." (30)
To Christian Couples
25. And now We
turn in a special way to Our own sons and daughters, to those most of all whom
God calls to serve Him in the state of marriage. While the Church does indeed
hand on to her children the inviolable conditions laid down by God's law, she is
also the herald of salvation and through the sacraments she flings wide open the
channels of grace through which man is made a new creature responding in charity
and true freedom to the design of his Creator and Savior, experiencing too the
sweetness of the yoke of Christ. (31)
In humble
obedience then to her voice, let Christian husbands and wives be mindful of
their vocation to the Christian life, a vocation which, deriving from their
Baptism, has been confirmed anew and made more explicit by the Sacrament of
Matrimony. For by this sacrament they are strengthened and, one might almost
say, consecrated to the faithful fulfillment of their duties. Thus will they
realize to the full their calling and bear witness as becomes them, to Christ
before the world. (32) For the Lord has entrusted to them the task of making
visible to men and women the holiness and joy of the law which united
inseparably their love for one another and the cooperation they give to God's
love, God who is the Author of human life.
We have no
wish at all to pass over in silence the difficulties, at times very great, which
beset the lives of Christian married couples. For them, as indeed for every one
of us, "the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life." (33)
Nevertheless it is precisely the hope of that life which, like a brightly
burning torch, lights up their journey, as, strong in spirit, they strive to
live "sober, upright and godly lives in this world," (34) knowing for sure that
"the form of this world is passing away." (35)
Recourse to God
For this
reason husbands and wives should take up the burden appointed to them,
willingly, in the strength of faith and of that hope which "does not disappoint
us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
who has been given to us ~}36 Then let them implore the help of God with
unremitting prayer and, most of all, let them draw grace and charity from that
unfailing fount which is the Eucharist. If, however, sin still exercises its
hold over them, they are not to lose heart. Rather must they, humble and
persevering, have recourse to the mercy of God, abundantly bestowed in the
Sacrament of Penance. In this way, for sure, they will be able to reach that
perfection of married life which the Apostle sets out in these words: "Husbands,
love your wives, as Christ loved the Church. . . Even so 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)
Family Apostolate
26. Among the
fruits that ripen if the law of God be resolutely obeyed, the most precious is
certainly this, that married couples themselves will often desire to communicate
their own experience to others. Thus it comes about that in the fullness of the
lay vocation will be included a novel and outstanding form of the apostolate by
which, like ministering to like, married couples themselves by the leadership
they offer will become apostles to other married couples. And surely among all
the forms of the Christian apostolate it is hard to think of one more opportune
for the present time. (38)
To Doctors and Nurses
27. Likewise
we hold in the highest esteem those doctors and members of the nursing
profession who, in the exercise of their calling, endeavor to fulfill the
demands of their Christian vocation before any merely human interest. Let them
therefore continue constant in their resolution always to support those lines of
action which accord with faith and with right reason. And let them strive to win
agreement and support for these policies among their professional colleagues.
Moreover, they should regard it as an essential part of their skill to make
themselves fully proficient in this difficult field of medical knowledge. For
then, when married couples ask for their advice, they may be in a position to
give them right counsel and to point them in the proper direction. Married
couples have a right to expect this much from them.
To Priests
28. And now, beloved sons, you who are priests, you who in virtue of your sacred
office act as counselors and spiritual leaders both of individual men and women
and of families—We turn to you filled with great confidence. For it is your
principal duty—We are speaking especially to you who teach moral theology—to
spell out clearly and completely the Church's teaching on marriage. In the
performance of your ministry you must be the first to give an example of that
sincere obedience, inward as well as outward, which is due to the magisterium of
the Church. For, as you know, the pastors of the Church enjoy a special light of
the Holy Spirit in teaching the truth. (39) And this, rather than the arguments
they put forward, is why you are bound to such obedience. Nor will it escape you
that if men's peace of soul and the unity of the Christian people are to be
preserved, then it is of the utmost importance that in moral as well as in
dogmatic theology all should obey the magisterium of the Church and should speak
as with one voice. Therefore We make Our own the anxious words of the great
Apostle Paul and with all Our heart We renew Our appeal to you: "I appeal to
you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and
that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind
and the same judgment." (40)
Christian Compassion
29. Now it is
an outstanding manifestation of charity toward souls to omit nothing from the
saving doctrine of Christ; but this must always be joined with tolerance and
charity, as Christ Himself showed in His conversations and dealings with men.
For when He came, not to judge, but to save the world, (41) was He not bitterly
severe toward sin, but patient and abounding in mercy toward sinners?
Husbands and
wives, therefore, when deeply distressed by reason of the difficulties of their
life, must find stamped in the heart and voice of their priest the likeness of
the voice and the love of our Redeemer.
So speak with full confidence, beloved sons, convinced that while the Holy
Spirit of God is present to the magisterium proclaiming sound doctrine, He also
illumines from within the hearts of the faithful and invites their assent. Teach
married couples the necessary way of prayer and prepare them to approach more
often with great faith the Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance. Let them
never lose heart because of their weakness.
To Bishops
30. And now as
We come to the end of this encyclical letter, We turn Our mind to you,
reverently and lovingly, beloved and venerable brothers in the episcopate, with
whom We share more closely the care of the spiritual good of the People of God.
For We invite all of you, We implore you, to give a lead to your priests who
assist you in the sacred ministry, and to the faithful of your dioceses, and to
devote yourselves with all zeal and without delay to safeguarding the holiness
of marriage, in order to guide married life to its full human and Christian
perfection. Consider this mission as one of your most urgent responsibilities at
the present time. As you well know, it calls for concerted pastoral action in
every field of human diligence, economic, cultural and social. If simultaneous
progress is made in these various fields, then the intimate life of parents and
children in the family will be rendered not only more tolerable, but easier and
more joyful. And life together in human society will be enriched with fraternal
charity and made more stable with true peace when God's design which He
conceived for the world is faithfully followed.
A Great Work
31. Venerable
brothers, beloved sons, all men of good will, great indeed is the work of
education, of progress and of charity to which We now summon all of you. And
this We do relying on the unshakable teaching of the Church, which teaching
Peter's successor together with his brothers in the Catholic episcopate
faithfully guards and interprets. And We are convinced that this truly great
work will bring blessings both on the world and on the Church. For man cannot
attain that true happiness for which he yearns with all the strength of his
spirit, unless he keeps the laws which the Most High God has engraved in his
very nature. These laws must be wisely and lovingly observed. On this great
work, on all of you and especially on married couples, We implore from the God
of all holiness and pity an abundance of heavenly grace as a pledge of which We
gladly bestow Our apostolic blessing.
Given at St. Peter's, Rome, on the 25th day of July, the feast of St. James the
Apostle, in the year 1968, the sixth of Our pontificate.
NOTES
LATIN TEXT: Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 60 (1968), 481-503.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION: The Pope Speaks, 13 (Fall. 1969), 329-46.
REFERENCES:
(1) See Pius IX, encyc. letter Oui pluribus: Pii IX P.M. Acta, 1, pp.
9-10; St. Pius X encyc. letter Singulari quadam: AAS 4 (1912), 658; Pius
XI, encyc.letter
Casti connubii: AAS 22 (1930), 579-581; Pius XII, address Magnificate
Dominum to the episcopate of the Catholic World: AAS 46 (1954), 671-672;
John
XXIII, encyc. letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 457.
(2) See Mt
28. 18-19.
(3) See Mt
7. 21.
(4) See Council of Trent Roman Catechism, Part II, ch. 8; Leo XIII, encyc.letter
Arcanum:
Acta Leonis XIII, 2 (1880), 26-29; Pius XI, encyc.letter Divini illius
Magistri: AAS 22 (1930), 58-61; encyc. letter Casti connubii: AAS 22
(1930), 545-546; Pius XII, Address to Italian Medico-Biological Union of St.
Luke: Discorsi e radiomessaggi di Pio XII, VI, 191-192; to Italian
Association of Catholic Midwives: AAS 43 (1951), 835-854; to the association
known as the Family Campaign, and other family associations: AAS 43 (1951),
857-859; to 7th congress of International Society of Hematology: AAS 50 (1958),
734-735 [TPS VI, 394-395]; John XXIII, encyc.letter Mater et Magistra:
AAS 53 (1961), 446-447 [TPS VII, 330-331]; Second Vatican Council, Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, nos. 47-52: AAS 58 (1966),
1067-1074 [TPS XI, 289-295]; Code of Canon Law, canons 1067, 1068 §1, canon
1076, §§1-2.
(5) See Paul
VI, Address to Sacred College of Cardinals: AAS 56 (1964), 588 [TPS IX,
355-356]; to Commission for the Study of Problems of Population, Family and
Birth: AAS 57 (1965), 388 [TPS X, 225]; to National Congress of the Italian
Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology: AAS 58 (1966), 1168 [TPS XI, 401-403].
(6) See 1 Jn
4. 8.
(7) Eph 3. 15.
(8) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
World of Today, no. 50: AAS 58 (1966), 1070-1072 [TPS XI, 292-293].
(9) See St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae, I-II, q. 94, art. 2.
(10) See Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church
in the World of Today, nos . 50- 5 1: AAS 58 ( 1 966) 1070-1073 [TPS XI,
292-293].
(11) See ibid., no. 49: AAS 58 (1966), 1070 [TPS XI, 291-292].
(12) See Pius XI. encyc. letter Casti connubi: AAS 22 (1930), 560; Pius
XII, Address to Midwives: AAS 43 (1951), 843.
(13) See encyc. letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 447 [TPS VII,
331].
(14) See Council of Trent Roman Catechism, Part II, ch. 8; Pius XI, encyc.
letter Casti connubii: AAS 22 (1930), 562-564; Pius XII, Address to
Medico-Biological Union of St. Luke: Discorsi e radiomessaggi, VI,
191-192; Address to Midwives: AAS 43 (1951), 842-843; Address to Family Campaign
and other family associations: AAS 43 (1951), 857-859; John XXIII, encyc. letter
Pacem in terris: AAS 55 (1963), 259-260 [TPS IX, 15-16]; Second Vatican
Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, no.
51: AAS 58 (1966), 1072 [TPS XI, 293].
(15) See Pius XI, encyc. letter Casti connubii: AAS 22 (1930), 565;
Decree of the Holy Office, Feb. 22, 1940: AAS 32 (1940), 73; Pius XII, Address
to Midwives: AAS 43
(1951),
843-844; to the Society of Hematology: AAS 50 (1958), 734-735 [TPS VI, 394-395].
(16) See Council of Trent Roman Catechism, Part II, ch. 8; Pius XI, encyc.
letter Casti connubii: AAS 22 (1930), 559-561; Pius XII, Address to
Midwives: AAS 43 (1951), 843; to the Society of Hematology: AAS 50 (1958),
734-735 [TPS VI, 394-395]; John XXIII, encyc.letter Mater et Magistra:
AAS 53 (1961), 447 [TPS VII, 331].
(17) See Pius
XII, Address to National Congress of Italian Society of the Union of Catholic
Jurists: AAS 45 (1953), 798-799 [TPS I, 67-69].
(18) See Rom
3. 8.
(19) See Pius
XII, Address to 26th Congress of Italian Association of Urology: AAS 45 (1953),
674-675; to Society of Hematology: AAS 50 (1958), 734-735 [TPS VI, 394-395].
(20) See Pius
XII, Address to Midwives: AAS 43 (1951), 846.
(21) See Pius
XII, Address to Association of Urology: AAS 45 (1953), 674-675; to leaders and
members of Italian Association of Cornea Donors and Italian Association for the
Blind: AAS 48 (1956), 461-462 [TPS III, 200-201].
(22) Lk 2. 34.
(23) See Paul Vl, encyc. letter Populorum progressio: AAS 59 (1967), 268
[TPS XII, 151].
(24) See Rom
8.
(25) See Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Media of Social Communication,
nos. 6-7: AAS 56 (1964), 147 [TPS IX, 340-341].
(26) Encyc. letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 447 [TPS VII, 331].
(27) See encyc. letter
Populorum progressio, nos. 48-55: AAS 59 (1967), 281-284 [TPS XII,
160-162].
(28) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in
the World of Today, no. 52: AAS 58 (1966), 1074 [TPS XI, 294].
(29) Address
to Family Campaign and other family associations: AAS 43 (1951), 859.
(30) Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in
the World of Today, no. 51: AAS 58 (1966), 1072 [TPS XI, 293].
(31) See Mt
11. 30.
(32) See Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church
in the World of Today, no. 48: AAS 58 (1966), 1067-1069 [TPS XI,290-291];
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, no. 35: AAS 57 (1965), 40-41 [TPS X,
382-383].
(33) Mt
7. 14; see Heb 12. 11.
(34) See Ti
2. 12.
(35) See 1 Cor
7. 31.
(36) Rom
5. 5.
(37) Eph
5. 25, 28-29, 32-33.
(38) See Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,
nos. 35, 41: AAS 57 (1965), 40-45 [TPS X, 382-383, 386-387; Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, nos. 48-49: AAS 58
(1966),1067-1070 [TPS XI, 290-292]; Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity,
no. 11: AAS 58 (1966), 847-849 [TPS XI, 128-129].
(39) See Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, no.
25: AAS 57 (1965), 29-31 [TPS X, 375-376].
(40) 1 Cor
1. 10.
(41) See Jn
3. 17.
Papal Encyclicals
