Pope Benedict Reiterates Church's Opposition To Contraception Use

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 07 Oct 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Pope Benedict XVI on Friday reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's condemnation of contraception, a position that has led "millions" to abandon the church, AFP/Google.com reports. In a message to a seminar marking the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's 1968 Humanae Vitae, which states the church's opposition to contraceptive use, the pope wrote that contraception "means negating the intimate truth of conjugal love, with which the divine gift (of life) is communicated."

The pope said that the rhythm method is an acceptable form of contraception for couples in "dire circumstances" who need to control the rate at which they have children. The pope also said that the "world, as well as many of the faithful, ha[s] a lot of difficulty understanding the message of the church," which he said intends to protect "the beauty of conjugal love." He added, "Technological answers often seem the easiest, even to great human questions," but "technology cannot substitute for a mature approach to freedom when love is involved." Benedict said the church's support for "natural solutions to infertility" and opposition to assisted reproduction through sperm or egg donation and the freezing of embryos are based on the same reasoning.

The pope's message comes two months after some 60 Catholic groups issued a letter calling for a retraction of the church's position on contraception, saying that the policy endangers women's lives and contributes to the spread of HIV. Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi said the groups' appeal was not about expressing a "theological or moral position but paid propaganda in favor of the use of contraceptives," adding that the spread of HIV/AIDS is "totally independent" of the influence of religion (AFP/Google.com, 10/3).

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