They need to consider external criteria, which involve the person and his acts, which must include mutual self-giving. Human procreation must remain within the context of true love. This would be possible only within the confines of married chastity with sincerity of heart. Periodic continence or non-performance of the sexual act can regulate conception the natural way. It is based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods. These conform to the objective criteria of morality and allowed by the Church for married Christian couples. They respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage warmth and tenderness for each other and enhance authentic freedom. In contrast, every act in anticipation of the conjugal act or of its accomplishment, which is the development of its natural consequences, whether as an end or as a means, to making procreation impossible is regarded by the Catholic Church as intrinsically evil and a sin (the Vatican).
The Catholic Church recognizes and teaches that the inherent language of total and reciprocal self-giving between husband and wife is thwarted by contraception (the Vatican 2007).It is a deliberate act of not giving oneself totally to the other and constitutes a positive refusal to be open to the procreation of another life. It also falsifies the inner truth of conjugal love, which calls upon the spouses to give themselves in personal totality. In the meantime, the Gospel does not consider physical sterility an absolute evil. Spouses who remain infertile after exhausting legitimate medical procedures should unite themselves in Christ, their source of fertility. Until they are blessed with fertility, these couples may express their generosity by adopting abandoned children or extend help to others in need (the Vatican).
Vatican officials revealed that Pope Benedict XVI had ordered an evaluation on its policy, which prohibited the use of condoms, particularly to halt the spread of AIDS (Bruce 2006). According to Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the use of prophylactics could, in some situations, constitute a lesser evil. These situations would apply to spouses, one of whom could be affected by the illness. It would then...
Birth Control and Christianity Debate: Introduction Birth control or family planning is one of the most controversial issues, widely and passionately discussed by the Church and one for which a clear answer or solution has remained elusive. With rising population rate, many experts maintain that birth control is not only important, it is critical for the survival of the planet. Birth control methods both artificial and natural have been widely promoted
This, he felt was the most effective and Christian strategy to resist evil. Also, the Pope's equal desire to embody the Christian virtue of dignity meant that he was not blind to capitalism's abuses, pointing out that severe imbalances in wealth exacerbate tensions amongst peoples in an often non-Christian fashion -- not always a popular principle to take in the West. Pope John Paul II devoted enormous spiritual and
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