The Linacre Quarterly

Volume 41 | Number 1 Article 6

February 1974 The iS lence Since Humanae Vitae Richard F. McCormick

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Recommended Citation McCormick, Richard F. (1974) "The iS lence Since Humanae Vitae," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 41 : No. 1 , Article 6. Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol41/iss1/6 the perspective granted by time, I statements tonal divergences, a believe it can be said that Humanae kind of pastoral contextualizing of The Silence Since Humanae Vita· Vitae produced shock and/ o r solace, the papal teaching, that is not with­ Richard F. McCormick, S. J . suspension, silence- pretty much in o ut a neutralizing influe nce. Wil­ that order. It is sile nce that best liam Shannon's summary is, I be­ .. represents the situation in 1973. The Five years ago this month, Pope Paul's a uthoritative interve. n, is lieve, accurate "The statements, in inatter of contraception provokes a Paul VI issued his encyclical the response it received. 1 Ger­ fact, range from a total e ndorse­ .. yawn of public boredom, the mo re ment of the encyclical that left little Humanae Vitae. It was the official man bishops, meeting at ~ nig­ especially since we are daily con­ or no roo m for disse nt to a positi ve papal response to a problem that stein, Aug. 29 and 30, 1 96~ .oted fronted with what seem to most had been hotly debated in the Cath­ that " no encyclical of the I dec­ justification of those who feel it people to be far more urgent issues: olic community for nearly ten years. ades has a roused so much posi­ their right and duty to depart from the war, morality in government, tion as this o ne." That is { ainly the teaching of the encyclical; in The discussion had its origins, of overpopulation, en vironmental pol­ true, a nd it was bound to the between there is an emphasis o n the course, much further back than lution, abortio n, the pro blems o f guiltlessness, the lessened responsi­ case regardless of what .posi 1 the .. 1968. It must be dated at least from crime, drugs, aging, race, pove rty Pope supported,given the e r no us bility. or at least o n the good will, the year 1930, for prior to that time and so on. o f those who dissen t." personal investments and t lesial the rejection of artificial contra­ But the enormity of these issues implications of the questio Wi th For instance. the Canadian bish­ ception on moral grounds was in a does not adequate ly explain the al­ ops referred to those who ''find that. state. of pacific possession in the most silent unconcern o f large seg­ because of particular circumstances. Christian community. O n Aug. 15, ments of the Catholic community they are involved in what seems to .. 1930, the Declaratio n of the Lam­ about the central issue of Humanae them a clear conflict of duties. e.g .. beth Conference of Anglican b ish­ Vitae. ·A glance at the response of the reconciling of conjugal love and ops o ffi cially endorsed the use of Catholics at several levels ( episco­ responsible pare n t h ood with the contraception. On December 3 1 of pal, priestly, marital, theo logical) education of children already bo rn. that same year, Pius XI published may provide some clue about this or with the health of the mothe r. In his e ncyclical Casti Connubii. an unconcern. accord with the accepted principles o bvious and forceful counte rstate­ Pastoral Statements o f moral theology. if these persons me nt to the Lambeth declaration. have tried sincerely. but without He re contraception was conde mned First of all , the bishops. Nearly success. to pursue a line of conduct as " against nature" and a n act every national hierarchy responded in keeping with the g ive n directives. "shameful a nd intrinsically im­ to the encyclical with its own pas­ they may be safely assured that who­ mo ral.'' From that time on, theo­ toral stateme nt. probably because ever honestly chooses that course A s of January 1, 1974. !"ather logical developments began to they were asked to do so by the which seems right to him does so in Richard McCormick, S.J. h • Js the occur, quie tly and imperceptibly at papal secretary of state, Cardinal good conscience." first , but o penly and clamorously in Rose F. Kennedy Chair in C ristian Ciognani. These episcopal docu­ The French bishops were even the 1960's. The history o f these de­ Ethics at Georgetown Un• ersity. ments rightly applaud the Ho ly more outspoken on the question of velopments. thought c urrents that This professorship will deh ( Ilea vi· father for the integral and inspiring a conflict of duties. They fi rst note made Humanae Vitae so controver­ ly into the problems of medical vision of man and marriage that that contraception is always a dis­ . ... sial. need no t be detailed here. It ethics. pervades the encyclical. Futher­ order. never a good. But couples . can be read in John Noonan's Con­ Father McCormick is a member more, they support both the author­ are. they assert, no t always culpable. traception, William Shannon's The of the Linacre editorial adl'isory ity of the Pope and the specific They ·continue: ··on this subject. we o rM • I Lively Debate and Ambrogio Yal­ board. His article examines the teaching of Humanae Vitae. Whe re shall simply recall the constant secchi 's Controversy. polarization of the Church both on the means of birth control are treat­ teaching of morality: when one has :I ' What is of importance now, five the issue of contraception and f unc· ed, howeve r, a careful reader will an alte rnative c hoice o f duties and, years afte r the appearance of Pope tion of the magisterium. detect in some of the hiera rc hica l whatever may be the decision, evil

February. 1974 26 Linacre Quarterly 27 cannot be avoided, traditional wis­ Response of the Cler rising from 51 percent to 68 percent. ing positions. The list would include dom makes provision for seeking In the lower age groups (ages 20-24), The response of American tests such respected names as Karl Rah­ before God which duty, in the cir­ the percentage of no nconfo rming ner. Alphonse Auer. Edward Schille­ is detailed in the Andrew ( !ley­ cumstances, is the greater. Husband women in 1970 was 78 percent. The beeckx. Joseph Fuchs. Bruno Schul­ coordina ted study, A n can and wife will decide at the end of a authors note that their most signi­ ler. Phil ip Delhaye. V ictor Heylen. Priests. Here we learn that per­ common reflection carried on with ficant finding is that the defection Louis Janssens. Walter Burghardt. cent of American priests vi e ! the all the care that the greatness of has been most pro nounced among encyclical as a compete nt ap­ Peter Kn

28 Linac re Q uarterly Februa~y. 1974 29 ~ · words. both the dissent and its man­ mote heights of teaching aut ~ .ty, light o n the matter: theologians, and limitations of o ur own refl ec­ ner are seen as disobedience a nd agonizing over the (birth C( ol) married couples, social scie ntists. tions. But if we are to continue to disloyalty. decision which only he must ke, physic ians. The best way to under­ enjoy this privilege, we must begin Others view the dissent as the o ut­ does not appeal to me." take this reflectio n is probably to bear the responsibilities of what come of responsible personal reflec­ G iven this type of polari:z m, through the fo rmatio n of a blue­ is, in the last analysis, a dialogical tion and thus as the most radical what is to be done? It seems ~ ar ribbon committee to repo rt back teaching-learning process in which form of religious loyalty. For exam­ that if large segments o f the •rfl· to the bishops. we all have partial but indispens­ ple, when he signed the dissenting munity have been unable to ole­ This is not a call for resolution by able co ntributions to ma ke. . . ~ · ~, : . Washington s tateme nt, Bernard grate every statement of the , . yc­ capitulation. That is no t the point. What direction a reformulation .... Haring appealed to loyalty to the lical into their moral perspet es. The point is simply that bo th the sho uld take is no o ne's to dictate. If • • • :I C hurc h and espec ially to the Po pe. then this dissent, to the exte n hat experience and lite rature o f the it were, a communal reexamination He stated: " If only our own person­ it is responsible, must be see1 s a past five years provide gro unds fo r wo uld be o ut of place. In a press al convictions would be at sta ke, source of new evidence. Oth, ·ise believing that a refo rmulation o f intervie w following his presentation reverence and love toward the Ho ly personal re flectio n has been led some o f the ne ura lgic p o ints o f o f Hu manae Vitae . Msgr. (now Father would be a suffic ient mo tive o ut of o rde r in the teaching-le e mg Humanae Vitae could be appro pri­ Archbishop) Fernando Lambru­ '•.. for me to be silent foreve r." Since process of the Church. 1f di s ~ t is ate. schini was cited as no ting that "the I identify with those who insist that to be take n seriously with• the It is ultima tely the bis ho ps who rule (against artificia l birth control) loyalty to the Holy Father and to community, it cannot be vie\•. as must stimulate and support this is no t unreformable. It is up to theo­ the Church must be defined in te rms simply legally tolerable , a k• of reexamination and refo rmulation logians to debate a nd expand all . . larger than acceptance of a single paternal eye-shutting to the ors and bring it to the attention of the moral aspects involved. And if. for authoritative but no ninfa llible or immaturities of a child. It is her Holy Father. Not only are they offi­ instance. some princ iple should be­ teaching, what follows will certa inly both an end and a beginning t is cially commissioned teachers. but come overwhelmingly accepted in . be unacceptable to those who do th e end of a docile, respectful. Jen. also, as pastors. they are in a position the Church. contraceptio n may even .. not share this perspective. personal attempt to appropria a u­ to be in touch with a ll eleme nts o f be launched." If Humanae Vitae is From the respo nse to Humanae thentic teaching. It is also and ove the community and to organize the not beyond refo rmulation . is not '· Vitae over the past five years o ne all the beginning of new evi< 1ce, experie nce and reflectio n o f these the experience of five years suffi­ thing is clear: the Catholic . com­ of a new reflection, no less d ile, various compe tences. Furthermo re. cient to suggest a beginning of the munity is polarized, bo th on the respectful and open. In thb .ght they are in the best position to assess process? issue of contraception and, e ven the Churc h's magisterium i!. een and grapple with the pasto ral pro­ Pope Paul VI has shown himself mo re impo rtantly, on the nature and much more as an ongoing p 1 .·ess blems a ny refo rmula ti o n would to be a remarkably patient man. a functio n of the Church's magiste r­ within whic h the respo nse l' the certainly occasion. pontiff with deep human compas­ ium and the appropriate Catholic community, while not decisiv· can The bisho ps may c hoose. o f sion and understanding, and with a respo nse to autho ritative teaching. certainly be an important ek 1ent course. to do nothing about the faith-supported tolerance for the Fo r instance. on o ne hand we have in the discovery of truth. situation. But that is to settle fo r a pain involved in structural change. pastoral proble m of another kind. tra nsitio n and disagreement. In a theologians like the Italian Fran­ A CaH for Refonnulatiof' cesco Marchesi. S.J., asserting that and one with very serious impli ca­ letter to the Congress of German in virtue of his primacy "the Pope It seems to me the refo re that tions. Specifically. it is to play the Catholics. Aug. 30. 1968. he stated : can decide even by himself. accord­ what is necessary at this po 11 ll in ostrich on this question and. I fear. "May the lively debate aroused by ing to his prude nt and reflective history is a new communal refl ~c t i o n to seriously compro mise the credi­ our encyclicariead to a bette r know­ judgment." On the other hand, Jesuit on the meaning of and reasons for bility of the teaching o ffi ce of the ledge of God's will. .. mo ralist John J. O'Callaghan of the dissent the encyclical provo ked. Church in the lo ng run. T o the It is the debate aroused by the Chicago's Be llarmine School of If such a re fl ection is to be open and Catholic (and many o th ers. I am encyclical. as Willia m Shanno n T heology speaks for many when he adequate, it must bring the bishops sure) the teaching o ffi ce of the carefull y notes. no t the e ncyclical writes in Theology Digest: "The together with the many com pete nces Church is a precio us privilege. It itself. which is the basis fo r hope of idea of Pope Paul, alone o n the re- that could be expected to throw aids our escape fro m the isolation a better knowledge of God's will. If

30 Linacre Quarterl y February. 1974 31 the debate is to lead to a better to Pope Paul's gentle invitat to knowledge of God's will, then surely dialogue. it is necessary to review the issues a nd arguments periodically to dis­ This article is reprinteo ith ·' . cover what is the current state of permissionfromAmerica Pre uly Humanae Vitae Revisited the question. My own reading of the 21, 1973. All rights R es. ed. '· experience and literature of the © 1973 America Press, 1m 106 Vitale H. Paganelli, M.D. past five years suggests that now is West 56th St., New York, N e-... H k, : . ~ '! the time to respond as a community 10019. .•. "Human life is sacred, from its tained in the encyclical or at best .. very inception it reveals the cre­ makes an attempt to dilute its con­ , ating hand of God. " tent so as to vitiate effectively its John XXJJJ, Mater et Magister essential teaching, especially at the practical level of family life. Let it be stated from the outset ... I. An Introd~ction of this article that I place myself The fifth anniversary (7/25 173) with those who think and believe of Pope Paul VI's controversial en­ that the principles and concepts ' .. cyclical Humanae Vitae wi ll be contained in Humanae Vitae are celebrated before these thoughts true and that furthermore they are take final form and are published. entirely worthy to be held by all It is my hope that this paper will the faithful as a preemine nt ideal contribute positively to a fuller not only for human life in general understanding and acceptance of NOTICE: the teachings therein. It seems unlikely that a ny reader, 'I save one whose particular and lim­ THE 1974 ANNUAL MEETING ited interest is mo ral theology, will have read the incredibly large mass OF THE of literature written regarding this NATIONAL FEDERATION OF encyclical. It is my impression that in my capacity as a Catholic physi­ CATHOLIC PHYSICIANS' GUILDS cian I have covered this literature WILL BE HELD more extensively than most of my physician colleagues. In fact, at Nov. 30 - Dec, 1, 1974 times I am totally nonplussed to PORTLAND, OREGON find that the most vociferous physi­ Vitale Paganelli, M.D. is a mem­ (IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE cian critics· of the e ncyclical have ber of the Linacre Quarterly Edi­ .• torial Advisory Board and a fre­ AMA CLINICAL MEETING) never taken the time to read the docume nt. It has distressed me more queni contributor to Linacre. In DETAILS WILL FOLLOW however over this five-year period this article, he details the cove­ to find that the preponderance of nantal relationship between God published materi al either is mili­ and man as reflected in Humanae .• tantly critical of the teaching con- Vitae.

32 Linacre Qua rterly February, 1974 33