Paul VI: You’re the man

by admin · Published August 6, 2008 · Updated September 1, 2009

Reports and letters surrounding the 40th anniversary of Humanae vitae led me to read the encyclical for the first time.

Only one question needs to be answered: was it necessary for Pope Paul VI to issue the encyclical as the successor of Peter to the broader world? It could also be asked: when God our Father had instructed Moses to take the ten commandments to the community, was it necessary for Moses to give and explain it to his people? There are similarities in these two actions.

The use of contraceptives was billed by the media and progressive thinkers at the time, and still is today, as a successful means of eradicating abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, prostitution and poverty, and liberating the family from hardships.
The warnings of Humanae vitae were opposite to these. And verified in this day by available independent information is that the divorce rate is up, abortions are increasing, prostitution has entered the realms of organised crime, and billions of dollars are thrown into the fight against STDs and poverty. Starvation is a reality, so is the great number of single parents who are faced with tremendous hardships. Violence against women has increased; the violence is the consenting partner argument, and that is, if one is paying and the other is willing and contraception is the guarantee, then no one is harmed.

This argument happily negates the associated psychological violence, that is, the one gratifies their personal needs with the body of the other for payment, the other is left with the payment, the physiological scars and humiliation, of the realisation that this is needed to survive and possibly feed, educate the family. Surely this is the utter violence and absolute disrespect of individual�s domination over others.

If anyone was offended by Humanae vitae, then it must be reasonable to assume they are also offended by Moses and the ten commandments. We need a living authority, and in the Church we have a living authority whose judgments need to be listened to and considered.

My apologies to Pope Paul VI, after 40 years: you�re the man!

Malcolm Bagley, Cape Town