On July 25, we celebrate the anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Saint Paul VI’s encyclical on human life: Humanae Vitae. This encyclical reaffirmed the Church’s traditional teaching against the use of contraception.
For Bishop Robert Barron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona–Rochester, Pope Saint Paul VI was much more than just a great moral teacher –he was a prophet.
In his video Contraception and Social Change, Bishop Barron highlights section 17 of Humanae Vitae as the part of the encyclical where Paul VI prophetically warns of the societal impact of contraception.
“I will confess to you, [section 17] jumped out at me as I reread it, because I thought ‘Wow, 1968, but this man was looking very clearly into our time,'” Bishop Barron says.
While Bishop Barron's explanation is from a 2018 video for the 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, these teachings are more relevant than ever.
Bishop Barron goes through Pope Saint Paul IV’s three big predictions about what a world that widely accepts contraception would look like:
1) More marital infidelity and lower moral standards for young people.
"Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards." - Pope Saint Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, Section 17
2) Men feel freer to objectify women.
"...A man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection." - Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, Section 17
3) Governments imposing contraception on their citizens.
"Careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law… Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone." - Pope Saint Paul VI, Humanael Vitae, Section 17
Today, almost 60 years since the sexual revolution, it’s clear all of these have come true: sexual morality and marriage have collapsed, women are widely viewed as mere sex objects by men, the attack on men in women's sports, and the HHS contraception mandate attempting to force religious institutions to pay for abortion-inducing drugs. Additionally, there are more severe population control policies in places like China.
Looking at today's culture, it’s amazing how accurate Pope Saint Paul VI was, which makes it all the more tragic that so many people, both within and without the Church, have not more closely heeded his warnings.