Fall 08 The Reception of Humanae Vitae in Canada between 1960 and 1978: An Early Post-Conciliar Understanding of Reception by Sarah Jaclyn Camilla Pettipas A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of St. Michael’s College and the Theology Department of the Toronto School of Theology In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Theology awarded by the University of St. Michael’s College © Copyright by Sarah Jaclyn Camilla Pettipas 2017 The Reception of Humanae Vitae in Canada between 1960 and 1978: An Early Post-Conciliar Understanding of Reception Sarah Jaclyn Camilla Pettipas Master of Arts in Theology University of St. Michael’s College 2017 Abstract Reception is a rich ecclesiological term that refers to the dynamic interplay between the teaching and learning Church. While reception has been operative throughout the history of the Church, reception largely became an object of theological study in the wake of the Second Vatican Council where reception was encouraged, without being explicitly defined. Humanae vitae is an early and informative case study for examining a newly emerging, post-conciliar understanding of ecclesial reception as a process that involves the whole Church over time and which safeguards the freedom of the receiver to refuse what is being offered. While the poor initial reception of Humanae vitae has already been amply documented, this study highlights evidence of the process of ecclesial reception at work among the laity, theologians, and bishops in Canada as they participated in the Spirit-led process of discernment, articulation, and integration leading up to the encyclical and in its wake. ii Acknowledgments I have always had the tendency to be a peacemaker. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why I tend to be drawn to controversial or divisive issues within the Church–because I believe I can somehow help to close the gap between opposing views or encourage each side to consider the other’s perspective. This project is a case study in ecclesial reception and the main focus of this project is to further our understanding of ecclesial reception, in particular, as it is lived out in concrete examples within the Church. The inspiration for this project, however, came from both a fascination with and appreciation for the Church’s teaching on artificial contraception as well as a desire to understand the controversy and division surrounding the teaching, particularly as it unfolded in its historical context. As a Canadian Roman Catholic woman born twenty-two years after Humanae vitae was promulgated, I was removed from the historical context surrounding both the birth control debate and the encyclical. I was initially introduced to the Catholic Church’s teaching regarding contraception in the first year of my under-graduate degree. At the age of eighteen, and far removed from the vocation of marriage, I was intrigued by the teaching and convinced of its goodness. I admired that the Church was willing to be counter-cultural on the issue of contraception, and felt that modern methods of Natural Family Planning respected a couple’s natural cycles of fertility and infertility and respected and promoted women’s health. Eight years later, as a newly married woman, my husband and I have decided to integrate this teaching into our married life. Despite my personal views and decisions regarding artificial contraception, I am grateful that this project has helped me to become much more aware of and sympathetic toward the various factors affecting the over-all poor reaction to this teaching. I am quick to acknowledge iii the many barriers that exist in the lived experience of families who may or may not currently be striving to live out this teaching. Above all, I am convinced that walking with others, including those we may have different views than, is much more effective than pointing fingers. It has been my experience, both personally and by way of sharing with friends and peers that many young Catholics are striving to live the core teaching of Humanae vitae in their marriages today. This fact alone continues to pique my interest in a teaching that was initially rejected, seemingly forgotten, and subsequently embraced by a generation born a more than a decade after the encyclical was promulgated. While this project reports that Humanae vitae was poorly received by many Catholics at the time it was promulgated, I am optimistic that reception is an ongoing process and that we are witnessing a new stage of the reception of Humanae vitae at this point in time. I would like to thank the many people who encouraged and supported me throughout the writing and editing process. Thank you to my thesis advisor, Michael Attridge, for helping this project take shape and providing valuable guidance and feedback along the way. Thank you to all of my professors at the Toronto School of Theology for sharing your knowledge and experience. In particular, I would like to thank Moira McQueen, Sr. Gill Goulding, CJ, Josephine Lombardi, Michael Vertin, and John Berkman. Thank you to Samuel Klumpenhouwer and Leah Perrault for editing my work at various stages of the writing process. Leah, I am grateful for all of your help, encouragement, and suggestions, but most of all, thank you for being an example to me of the many ways we as the laity, and in particular as women, are called to share our gifts, find our voices, and be leaders within our Church. Thank you to all of my family and friends for your continued love and support over the years. I would not be the person I am today without your guidance and influence. A special thanks to my husband Daniel iv for the many ways you love, support, and encourage me every day. I love sharing my life with you. It was a blessing to journey alongside you throughout this program and you are by far the greatest gift from my time in Toronto. And finally, to our baby on the way, who provided fresh motivation for me to finish this thesis as well as a much needed ‘due date’ for this project–we love you and we are so excited to meet you. v Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter 1: Reception………………………………………………………………………….…6 a. Defining Reception………………………………………………………………….….7 b. Historical Overview…………………………………………………………………….9 i. Reception in the Early Church…………………………………………………..9 ii. Reception in the Late Medieval Period……………………………………….11 iii. Reception and the Second Vatican Council………………………………….12 c. Exploring the Theological Development of Ecclesial Reception……………………..15 d. A Methodology for Tracing Evidence of Reception………………………………….22 i. A Process that Involves the Whole Church……………………………………23 ii. A Process that Takes Time……………………………………………………24 iii. Freedom of the Recipient….…………………………………………………27 e. Reception and Authority……………………………………………………………...30 f. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….33 Chapter 2: The Reception of Humanae Vitae Among the Canadian Laity…………………34 a. The Role of the Laity in the Process of Reception…………………………………….35 b. Lay Involvement in the Birth Control Debate Prior to 1968………………………….38 i. Lay Testimony…………………………………………………………………41 ii. Growing Expectations of Change……………………………………………..43 c. The Papal Birth Control Commission……………………………………………….45 d. Lay Reactions to Humanae Vitae……………………………………………………..52 e. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………..56 vi Chapter 3: The Reception of Humanae Vitae Among Canadian Theologians……………...60 a. The Role of Theologians in the Process of Reception………………………………...61 b. The Theological Climate Leading up to Humanae Vitae……………………………..64 i. The First Phase of the Debate………………………………………………….65 ii. The Second Phase of the Debate……………………………………………...67 iii. The Waiting Period…………………………………………………………...71 c. The Encyclical Humanae Vitae and the Response of Theologians……………………72 i. Theological Dissent and Reaction to Authority………………………………..75 d. The Reception of Humanae Vitae among Canadian Theologians…………………….77 i. Gregory Baum………………………………………………………………….78 ii. Bernard Lonergan……………………………………………………………..81 e. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….82 Chapter 4: The Reception of Humanae Vitae Among the Canadian Bishops………………84 a. The Role of Bishops in the Process of Reception……………………………………..84 b. Canadian Bishops and the Birth Control Debate Prior to 1968……………………….86 i. Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger……………………………………………………86 ii. Archbishop Philip Pocock…………………………………………………...89 c. The Bishops Respond to Humanae Vitae……………………………………………...91 d. The Winnipeg Statement………………………………………………………………97 i. Reactions to the Winnipeg Statement………………………………………101 e. The Winnipeg Statement in Context……………………………………………….104 f. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………108 vii Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...110 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………114 viii Introduction The 1968 encyclical Humanae vitae, “On Human Life,” which re-stated the Catholic Church’s traditional teaching against the use of artificial contraception, was surrounded by a significant amount of controversy and was not widely received at the time of its promulgation. Theologian Joseph Komonchak states that the encyclical was unparalleled in recent memory in the extent and severity of the opposition it received.1 Karl Rahner agrees, stating that opposition to the encyclical was “far greater, far swifter, far more decided and far more vocal” than reaction to any previous doctrinal pronouncement by a Pope.2 Church historian Richard McBrien also echoes this sentiment by citing the negative reaction to Humanae vitae as “a major example of non-reception.”3