Anniversary of Humanae Vitae

By Dr. Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, President

International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC)

Another summer has arrived and we prepare again to celebrate the anniversary of the encyclical Humanae Vitae. I shall never tire of thanking Pope Paul VI for his courage in publishing that text on the beginning of human life, its transmission and the love of spouses. He did so in the year of the sexual revolution of ’68 and probably against the opinion of some experts and of great media opposition.

That text is now considered prophetic. It continued the teachings of Pius XII and pointed well to those of John Paul II. But above all it was spot on in the key of the transmission of human life. It is a special moment between spouses and God. God’s finger is in the conjugal bed and, in the transmission of life, cooperation is the greatest between us and the Creator. We humans are given a wide margin of freedom in our acting. As is natural, we have physical and moral limits; however, our freedom and creativity are greater than we can imagine. In the creation of a new human being God desires that love flow abundantly. The transmission of a new life is an act of love of God and of the spouses.

The creation of a family and the gift of oneself without hiding the creative faculty are indispensable conditions to receive well a new human being. We must think that each and all of us human beings are forever. Once created and having passed the test of this world, we exist forever. It seems that up to now total humanity has been 15 billion human beings. God could have created an infinite number more, but we are those who are, every one different from the other and at the same time an unrepeatable brother. God already thought of us before the creation of the world. Not one of us is extra. All of us are desired by God.

Our corporeity comes from our origin. It is not something added or bad. We doctors know well how beautiful, complex and interesting the human body is and its physiology. Many times we find amazing aspects in ourselves. The woman, beautiful beings wherever they are, has the gift of periodic fertility to be and to transmit happiness.

Along with the importance of being more in so far as possible, I would like to highlight the conjugal will of surrender and mutual help that Paul VI pointed out explicitly. Surrender excludes contraception and mutual help smiles mischievously in face of those who hold that the Church is against sexuality.

http://www.fiamc.orgbioethics/humanae-vitae/

[Translation by ZENIT]