Humanae Vitae and Catholic Sexual Morality: Introduction
by Robert Fastiggi and Matthew Levering
[This descriptive and informative introduction to Humanae Vitae and Catholic Sexual Morality is reproduced from the book except for footnotes. This important book can be purchased through Catholic University of America Press.]
Introduction to Humanae Vitae and Catholic Sexual Morality
On December 8-10, 2022, a group of Catholic scholars gathered in Rome to take part in a conference titled “A Response to the Pontifical Academy for Life’s Publication, Etica Teologica della Vita. Scrittura, tradizione, sfide pratiche.” The present volume brings together a selection of papers from this conference, with an added essay by Fr. Luis Sánchez-Navarro that addresses scriptural issues.
The purpose of this conference was to respond, in a spirit of respect and fraternity, to some of the issues raised in the recent publication of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Etica Teologica della Vita: Scrittura, tradizione, sfide pratiche. A number of the essays in that volume sharply contest the Church’s moral teaching. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia—in his presentation of Etica Teologica—rightly notes that “Today there is a deeply felt need to promote, safeguard and put into practice the service of theology, which is absolutely necessary for the Church and for the lives of all believers.” Here we are in agreement with Archbishop Paglia. On July 29, 2022, during his return flight from Canada to Rome, Pope Francis stated that “the duty of theologians is research, theological reflection.” He also noted that theologians are called to discuss various “hypotheses” among themselves while recognizing that it is up to the Magisterium to decide whether certain proposals go too far. It was in this spirit that our conference was convened.
The December 8-10, 2022, conference sought to respond to some of the important questions raised in Etica Teologica, especially those con- nected with sexual morality, objective moral norms, and conscience. The conference attempted to pursue certain questions touched on in Etica Teologica in more depth. Among these questions were the following:
- What is meant by the “radical paradigm change” (radicale cambio di paradigm) mentioned by Archbishop Paglia in his presentation and by Pope Francis in his 2017 Apostolic Constitution, Veritatis Gaudium (no. 3)? Is this a change in educational orientation in light of cultural changes—as Pope Francis indicates—or is it a change in moral methodology and doctrine?
- What is the doctrinal status of the Church’s teaching against contraception? The foundational text (testo base) of Etica Teologica (no. 172) refers to Humanae Vitae (HV) 10-14. It rightly notes that the norm of HV 10-14 “always refers to a good that precedes and exceeds it” (La norma rimanda sempre a un bene che la precede e la eccede). Does the good of the norm ever allow for the use of “artificial methods” of regulating fertility in the act of sexual intercourse—methods that do not preserve the unity of the two ends, procreative and unitive? This raises the question of the irreformable status of the teaching of Humanae Vitae.
- How is Catholic sexual morality related to the question of intrinsically evil acts, that is, actions that cannot be made good by intention or circumstances? In moral methodology, how are we to understand conscience and discernment in reference to actions that are intrinsically disordered, even if done with a good intention motivated by difficult circumstances?
- How is Catholic teaching on contraception supported by Scripture, Christian anthropology, and the natural law? How is this teaching connected to the beauty of chastity, the dignity of the human person, and respect for nature?
- How is Catholic moral theology related to gender ideology, including contemporary claims about homosexual unions and transgenderism? Would a change in Catholic teaching on contraception signal changes on these other issues? What are the legal challenges faced by Catholics who wish to uphold Catholic teachings on marriage, sexuality, and the right to life of the unborn?
The book is divided into four parts, reflecting different approaches to responding to these questions: (I) Foundational Issues, (II) The Doctrinal Dimension, (III) The Anthropological Dimension, and (IV) The Beauty and Wisdom of Catholic Sexual Morality. All of the chapters seek to defend authentic Catholic sexual morality grounded in the natural law, Sacred Scripture, tradition, and the Magisterium. The authors seek to uphold the teachings of Humanae Vitae and Veritatis Splendor, an authentic Catholic understanding of the theology of the body and conscience, and the sacredness of marriage and human sexuality.
We should clarify at the outset that our conference did not aim to be comprehensive. The issues are vast, and it would not have been possible for the conference (let alone the volume) to cover them exhaustively or in the needed detail. Fortunately, there exists a large literature from the past five decades addressing the issues. The footnotes of the chapters in this volume tap into this literature. It is evident that the critiques and approaches found in Etica Teologica are nothing new. They represent perspectives that have been prevalent in academic circles since the late 1960s. The inadequacy of these perspectives for life in Christ has been taught by popes and demonstrated by scholars. Yet, owing to a range of factors, these perspectives have—sometimes in changed forms—seemingly gathered strength. Fundamentally, at issue is whether the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles about marriage and sexual morality are true. For if sexual intercourse can licitly be disjoined from the procreative end (properly understood), and if intention and circumstances are determinative for the liceity of sexual acts, then the sexual revolution is correct.
In stark contrast to the sexual revolution, the Church's moral theology has always stood on the side of the vulnerable. In sexual matters, the Church sees things first from the perspective of the children who are harmed when they are not raised by their father and mother. The Church’s moral theology perceives that sexuality is much more than a matter of consent between two adults. But we recognize that articulating the Church's moral teaching on these matters is not easy in the Western context, marked by the sexual revolution and by decades of weakened Catholic formation.
The present volume therefore should be seen simply as a beginning, a brief restatement of some of the insights needed to appreciate the Christian moral life in its integrity. Moreover, although the present volume originated in response to the publication of Etica Teologica, we intend to be speaking not solely to the current debate. Rather, this volume is a contribution to the debate that has been ongoing for decades and that, whatever happens in the short term, will continue for many decades to come—for as long as the sexual revolution lasts. The effects of the sexual revolution in the West are many, and their familial, ecological, psychological, and societal impacts are still unfolding. In the long term, the truth of the Church’s consistent moral and marital theology—the truth of Scripture and Tradition—will be manifest. The purpose of this volume, then, is not only to contribute to the debates of the present day but also to strengthen future believers in reclaiming and living the Gospel of the family.
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