VATICAN CITY - 12 May 2008 - 260 words
Vatican
congress marks 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae
Pope Benedict today received
participants in an international congress being promoted by the
Pontifical Lateran University in Rome to mark the 40th anniversary
of the promulgation of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Recalling that the Encyclical was published by Pope Paul VI on
25 July 1968, the Pope highlighted how "the document soon
became a sign of contradiction", and pointed out that "it
constitutes a significant show of courage in reiterating the continuity
of the Church's doctrine and tradition".
"The truth expressed in 'Humanae vitae 'does not change",
he said, "quite the contrary, in the light of new scientific
discoveries its teaching becomes more relevant and stimulates
reflection on the intrinsic values it possesses".
The Holy Father affirmed that "in a culture suffering from
the prevalence of having over being, human life risks losing its
value. If the practice of sexuality becomes a drug that seeks
to enslave the partner to one's own desires and interests without
respecting the times of the beloved, then what must be defended
is no longer just the concept of love but, primarily, the dignity
of the person. As believers we could never allow the power of
technology to invalidate the quality of love and the sacredness
of life".
Natural law, he said, "deserves to be recognised as the source
inspiring the relationship between a married couple in their responsibility
to generate children. The transmission of life is inscribed in
nature and its laws stand as an unwritten norm to which everyone
must refer".
Nascent life, said the Pope, "is the fruit of a love capable
of thinking and choosing in complete freedom, without allowing
itself to be overly conditioned by the sacrifice this may require.
From here emerges the miracle of life which parents experience
in themselves as they sense the extraordinary nature of what is
achieved in them and through them. No mechanical technique can
substitute the act of love that husband and wife exchange as a
sign of the greater mystery, in which they are protagonists and
co-participants of creation".
After recalling the sad episodes that sometimes involve adolescents
"whose reactions display their incorrect appreciation of
the mystery of life and of the dangerous implications of their
actions", the Holy Father expressed the hope that young people
"may learn the true meaning of love and prepare for it with
appropriate sexual education, not allowing themselves to be distracted
by superficial messages that prevent them appreciating the essence
of the truth at stake".
"Freedom must join with truth, and responsibility with strength
of dedication to others, also through sacrifice. Without these
principles the community of man does not develop and there is
a risk of being trapped in oppressive selfishness".
Source: VIS
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