The article continues:
"Speaking to reporters on the papal plane as he returned to Rome after a visit to Mexico, Francis obliquely suggested that artificial contraception could be used in extreme situations to avoid pregnancy.
Unlike abortion, 'avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil' and in certain circumstances it maybe 'the lesser evil.'"
In the words of Fr. Hardon, "The grave sinfulness of contraception is taught infallibly by the Church's ordinary universal teaching authority [Magisterium]."
It is important for Catholics to understand [and to acknowledge] that the Magisterium can and does teach infallibly on matters of faith and morals in the ordinary day-to-day execution of its pastoral mission provided that some very specific conditions are fulfilled. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church [Lumen Gentium] of the Second Vatican Council clearly described these conditions:
"Although the Bishops, taken individually, do not enjoy the privilege of infallibility, they do, however, proclaim the doctrine of Christ infallibly on the following conditions: namely, when, even though dispersed throughout the entire world but preserving for all that amongst themselves and with Peter's successor the bond of communion, in their authoritative teaching concerning matters of faith or morals, they are in agreement that a particular teaching is to be held definitively and absolutely." (LG, No. 25).
And what the Fathers of Vatican II add to this passage is also of critical importance:
"This is still more clearly the case when, assembled in an ecumenical council, they are, for the universal Church, teachers of and judges in matters of faith and morals, whose judgments must be adhered to with the loyal and obedient assent of faith."
And what do the Vatican II Fathers have to say about artificial contraception? In Gaudium et Spes, No. 51, we read:
"...when there is question of harmonizing conjugal love with the responsible transmission of life, the moral aspects of any procedure does not depend solely on sincere intentions or on an evaluation of motives, but must be determined by objective standards. These, based on the nature of the human person and his acts, preserve the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love. Such a goal cannot be achieved unless the virtue of conjugal chastity is sincerely practiced. Relying on these principles, sons of the Church may not undertake methods of birth control which are found blameworthy by the teaching authority of the Church in its unfolding of the divine law. "
Pope Francis is directly contradicting the infallible teaching of Pope Paul VI in his Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae, No. 14:
"Similarly excluded is every action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible.
To justify conjugal acts made intentionally infecund, one cannot invoke as valid reasons the lesser evil, or the fact that such acts would constitute a whole together with the fecund acts already performed or to follow later, and hence would share in one and the same moral goodness. In truth, if it is sometimes licit to tolerate a lesser evil in order to avoid a greater evil or to promote a greater good, it is not licit, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil so that good may follow therefrom; that is, to make into the object of a positive act of the will something which is intrinsically disorder, and hence unworthy of the human person, even when the intention is to safeguard or promote individual, family or social well-being. Consequently it is an error to think that a conjugal act which is deliberately made infecund and so is intrinsically dishonest could be made honest and right by the ensemble of a fecund conjugal life."
This man is the False Prophet, the Antichrist is soon to reveal himself.
ReplyDeleteHeretic!
Bergoglio's statement regarding contraception by is pure heresy. We are indeed in the last days. Pray to be able to withstand the coming persecution of Holy Mother Church. She has been infiltrated from within by "wolves".
ReplyDeleteOh my God...this is demonic. Heresy from the man who claims to be pope.
ReplyDeleteThe Socialist World State has arrived. The Antichrist State prepared by the False Prophet and the Sons of Hell
Ever since he was elected as Pope I doubted about him. I knew he would be the last. But sad to say if you are against him you will be persecuted by his fanatics. He is adored by many now.
ReplyDeleteCatechism of the Catholic Church, 2370:
ReplyDelete"Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil.."
Pete Baklinski, writing for Lifesite News, notes that, "In his famous 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI reiterated the Church’s long-standing and definitive teaching that artificial contraception is 'intrinsically wrong,'namely that it is always and in every instance evil, because it contradicts the procreative purpose of sex.
ReplyDeleteSome moral theologians have said that non-abortifacient contraceptives could be used in cases of rape as a means of self-defense against an aggressor. This distinction would not apply in the case of voluntary intercourse between couples concerned about Zika.
The pope’s remarks have already raised concern among many Catholics."
Exactly my point. The confused Deacon from Athol who often posts anonymously here because deep down he knows his comments are representative of someone who has serious mental health problems, posted here again suggesting that readers of this Blog are amateur theologians, is himself a mental and moral midget.
Any man ignorant of Catholic moral teaching has no place serving as a Catholic deacon.
Phil Lawler, at CatholicCulture.org:
ReplyDelete"Questioned as to whether contraception is the 'lesser of two evils' when the Zika threatens birth defects, the Pope replied, in part: 'On the lesser evil, avoiding pregnancy, we are speaking in terms of a conflict between the 5th and 6th Commandments.' What conflict? Does he mean to suggest that in some cases, adhering to one of God’s laws might entail violating another?
In the next sentence, the Pope refers to the decision by Pope Paul VI, authorizing nuns in (what was then) the Belgian Congo to use contraceptives when they were threatened with rape. But that decision does not apply to the situation created by the Zika epidemic. Contraception is immoral because it violates the integrity of the marital act. In the Congo, the use of contraceptives was justified as a means of thwarting an act of violence. In Latin America today, some officials argue that, because of the Zika problem, contraceptives should be used to thwart an act of marital love."
Francis is no theologian. It would seem that the deacon you refer to (OLI?) is so uneducated in his faith that he cannot understand the sinfulness of artificial contraception
Sad.
Francis is departing from the Magisterial teaching of the Church. He doesn't have the authority to change Christ's teaching. Who does he think he is?
ReplyDeleteEgomaniacal.
So far nobody has been able to produce supporting evidence that Bl. Paul VI said what he is alleged to have said.
ReplyDelete"There are times that lay Catholics have to step forward to say what we as priests cannot."
ReplyDeleteThese were the words spoken to me during a time in my life that I felt called as a Catholic to defend my Catholic Church from an assault from within.
That time has come again this week. To do so is never easy.
For nearly three years now Catholics have defended Pope Francis as being "taken out of context" or "misunderstood" by the media. We have watched and cringed at what has come out of the Vatican, been ignored by the Vatican, and been arranged by the Vatican all under the watchful eye of Pope Francis.
This line of defense has worn itself out.
This week was the straw that broke this faithful Catholic's silence.
Aboard the Papal plane in an interview reported by the Associated Press (2/18/16) we read:
Abortion "is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil at its root, no? It's a human evil," Francis told reporters. "On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (Zika), such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear."
No, Holy Father, it is not clear.
You are not clear.
What is clear, however are the doctrines of Holy Mother Church which have stood the test of time, survived liberal and false popes alike, war, famine, scandal, and repeated attempts at confusion and heresy from within and outside the Church.
And confusion, as we know, is not from God.
In Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI stated, "[W]e must once again declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, directly willed and procured abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as licit means of regulating birth. Equally to be excluded, as the teaching authority of the Church has frequently declared, is direct sterilization, whether perpetual or temporary, whether of the man or of the woman. Similarly excluded is every action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" (HV 14).
This was reiterated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "[E]very action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil" (CCC 2370). An excellent background and history of Catholic Church teaching can be found here.[1]
Use of contraception to avoid pregnancy is an absolute evil. The teaching on Contraception cannot be changed by an interview on a Papal airplane. However, the effects of such a statement being reported around the globe or heard in a one sentence news soundbite can be devastating and catastrophic. (It is important to note that in grave circumstances there are natural and effective ways to avoid pregnancy that obey and honor the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.)
Pope Francis continues to apologize to everyone for everything we are as Catholics yet fails to recognize those who are the most offended by his actions and misrepresentations: the lovers of Truth and defenders of our One, Holy, Apostolic, Catholic Church. The Catholic Church and Her teachings were handed down from Jesus Christ, Himself, who hung on the Cross and saw every second of time from the first created second to the final moment yet to come. Yes, including the Zika crisis at hand.
I appeal to Pope Francis to please retract his statement on contraception, stop the ongoing confusing statements in matters of faith, morals, and social teaching and return to clarity rooted in the timeless doctrine of the One True Church. I appeal to readers to intensify your prayers for this Pope...
-Jenn Giroux
"There are times that lay Catholics have to step forward to say what we as priests cannot."
ReplyDeleteThese were the words spoken to me during a time in my life that I felt called as a Catholic to defend my Catholic Church from an assault from within.
That time has come again this week. To do so is never easy.
For nearly three years now Catholics have defended Pope Francis as being "taken out of context" or "misunderstood" by the media. We have watched and cringed at what has come out of the Vatican, been ignored by the Vatican, and been arranged by the Vatican all under the watchful eye of Pope Francis.
This line of defense has worn itself out.
This week was the straw that broke this faithful Catholic's silence.
Aboard the Papal plane in an interview reported by the Associated Press (2/18/16) we read:
Abortion "is an evil in and of itself, but it is not a religious evil at its root, no? It's a human evil," Francis told reporters. "On the other hand, avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one (Zika), such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear."
No, Holy Father, it is not clear.
You are not clear.
What is clear, however are the doctrines of Holy Mother Church which have stood the test of time, survived liberal and false popes alike, war, famine, scandal, and repeated attempts at confusion and heresy from within and outside the Church.
And confusion, as we know, is not from God.
In Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI stated, "[W]e must once again declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, directly willed and procured abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as licit means of regulating birth. Equally to be excluded, as the teaching authority of the Church has frequently declared, is direct sterilization, whether perpetual or temporary, whether of the man or of the woman. Similarly excluded is every action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" (HV 14).
This was reiterated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "[E]very action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil" (CCC 2370). An excellent background and history of Catholic Church teaching can be found here.[1]
Use of contraception to avoid pregnancy is an absolute evil. The teaching on Contraception cannot be changed by an interview on a Papal airplane. However, the effects of such a statement being reported around the globe or heard in a one sentence news soundbite can be devastating and catastrophic. (It is important to note that in grave circumstances there are natural and effective ways to avoid pregnancy that obey and honor the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.)
Pope Francis continues to apologize to everyone for everything we are as Catholics yet fails to recognize those who are the most offended by his actions and misrepresentations: the lovers of Truth and defenders of our One, Holy, Apostolic, Catholic Church. The Catholic Church and Her teachings were handed down from Jesus Christ, Himself, who hung on the Cross and saw every second of time from the first created second to the final moment yet to come. Yes, including the Zika crisis at hand.
I appeal to Pope Francis to please retract his statement on contraception, stop the ongoing confusing statements in matters of faith, morals, and social teaching and return to clarity rooted in the timeless doctrine of the One True Church. I appeal to readers to intensify your prayers for this Pope...
-Jenn Giroux
Read the rest at Renew America
Delete