Humanae Vitae

EncyclicalLetter of Pope Paul VI on the Regulation of Birth (July 25, 1968)

To the venerable patriarchs, archbishops and bishops andother local ordinaries in peace and communion with the Apostolic See; topriests, the faithful and to all men of goodwill.

VenerableBrothers and Beloved Sons:

THE MOST SERIOUS DUTY of transmitting human life, for whichmarried persons are the free and responsible collaborators of God the Creator,has always been a source of great joys to them, even if sometimes accompaniedby not a few difficulties and distress.

At all times the fulfillment of this duty has posed graveproblems to the conscience of married persons, but, with the recent evolutionof society, changes have taken place that give rise to new questions which theChurch could not ignore, having to do with a matter which so closely touchesupon the life and happiness of men.

I. NEW ASPECTS OF THE PROBLEM AND COMPETENCY OF THEMAGISTERIUM

New Formulationof the Problem

2. The changeswhich have taken place are in fact noteworthy and of varied kinds. In the firstplace, there is the rapid demographic development. Fear is shown by many thatworld population is growing more rapidly than the available resources, withgrowing distress to many families and developing countries, so that thetemptation for authorities to counter this danger with radical measures isgreat. Moreover, working and lodging conditions, as well as increasedexigencies both in the economic field and in that of education, often make theproper education of a larger number of children difficult today. A change isalso seen both in the manner of considering the person of woman and her placein society, and in the value to be attributed to conjugal love in marriage, andalso to the appreciation to be made of the meaning of conjugal acts in relationto that love.

Finally and above all, man has made stupendous progress inthe domination and rational organization of the forces of nature, such that hetends to extend this domination to his own total being: to the body, topsychical life, to social life and even to the laws which regulate thetransmission of life.

3. This new state of things gives rise to new questions.Granted the conditions of life today, and granting the meaning which conjugalrelations have with respect to the harmony between husband and wife and totheir mutual fidelity, would not a revision of the ethical norms, in force upto now, seem to be advisable, especially when it is considered that they cannotbe observed without sacrifices, sometimes heroic sacrifices?

And again: by extending to this field the application of theso-called "principle of totality," could it not be admitted that theintention of a less abundant but more rationalized fecundity might transform amaterially sterilizing intervention into a licit and wise control of birth?Could it not be admitted, that is, that the finality of procreation pertains tothe ensemble of conjugal life, rather than to its single acts? It is also askedwhether in view of the increased sense of responsibility of modern man, themoment has not come for him to entrust to his reason and his will, rather thanto the biological rhythms of his organism, the task of regulating birth.

Competency of the Magisterium

4. Such questions required from the teaching authority ofthe Church a new and deeper reflection upon the principles of moral teaching onmarriage: a teaching founded on the natural law, illuminated and enriched bydivine revelation.

No believer will wish to deny that the teaching authority ofthe Church is competent to interpret even the natural moral law. It is, infact, indisputable, as our predecessors have many times declared [1], thatJesus Christ, when communicating to Peter and to the Apostles His divineauthority and sending them to teach all nations His commandments [2],constituted them as guardians and authentic interpreters of all the moral law,not only, that is, of the law of the Gospel, but also of the natural law, whichis also an expression of the will of God, the faithful fulfillment of which isequally necessary for salvation [3].

Special Studies

4. The consciousness of that same mission induced us toconfirm and enlarge the study commission which our predecessor Pope John XXIIIof happy memory instituted in March, 1963. That commission which included,besides several experts in the various pertinent disciplines also marriedcouples, had as its scope the gathering of opinions on the new questionsregarding conjugal life, and in particular on the regulation of births, and offurnishing opportune elements of information so that the magisterium could givean adequate reply to the expectation not only of the faithful, but also ofworld opinion [5].

The work of these experts, as well as the successivejudgements and counsels spontaneously forwarded by or expressly requested froma good number of our brothers in the episcopate, have permitted us to measuremore exactly all the aspects of this complex matter. Hence with all our heartwe express to each of them our lively gratitude.

Reply of the Magisterium

6. The conclusions at which the commission arrived couldnot, nevertheless, be considered by us as definitive, nor dispense us from apersonal examination of his serious question; and this also because, within thecommission itself, no full concordance of judgements concerning the moral normsto be proposed had been reached, and above all because certain criteria ofsolutions had emerged which departed from the moral teaching on marriage proposedwith constant firmness by the teaching authority of the Church.

Therefore, having attentively sifted the documentation laidbefore us, after mature reflection and assiduous prayers, we now intend, byvirtue of the mandate entrusted to us by Christ, to give our reply to thesegrave questions.

II. DOCTRINAL PRINCIPLES

A Total Vision of Man

7. The problem of birth, like every other problem regardinghuman life, is to be considered, beyond partial perspectives -- whether of thebiological or psychological, demographic or sociological orders -- in the lightof an integral vision of man and of his vocation, not only his natural andearthly, but also his pernatural and eternal vocation. And since, in theattempt to justify artificial methods of birth control, many have appealed tothe demands both of conjugal ove and of "responsible parenthood," itis good to state very precisely the true concept of these two great realitiesof married life, referring principally to what was recently set forth in thisregard, and in a highly authorative form, but the Second Vatican Council in itspastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes.

Conjugal Love

8. Conjugal love reveals its true nature and nobility whenit is considered in its supreme origin, God, who is love [6], "the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named" [7].

Marriage is not, then, the effect of chance or the productof evolution of unconscious natural forces; it is the wise institution of theCreator to realize in mankind His design of love. By means of the reciprocalpersonal gift of self, proper and exclusive to them, husband and wife tendtowards the communication of their beings in view of mutual personalperfection, to collaborate with God in the generation and education of newlives.

For baptized persons, moreover, marriage invests the dignityof a sacramental sign of grace, inasmuch as it represents the union of Christand of the Church.

Its Characteristics

9. Under this light, there clearly appear the characteristicmarks and demands of conjugal love, and it is of supreme importance to have anexact idea of these.

This love is first of all fully human, that is to say, ofthe senses and of the spirit at the same time. It is not, then, a simpletransport of instinct and sentiment, but also, and principally, an act of thefree will, intended to endure and to grow by mens of the joys and sorrows ofdaily life, in such a way that husband and wife become one only heart and one onlysoul, and together attain their human perfection.

Then, this love is total, that is to say, it is a veryspecial form of personal friendship, in which husband and wife generously shareeverything, without undue reservations of selfish calculations. Whoever trulyloves his marriage partner loves not only for what he receives, but for thepartner's self, rejoicing that he can enrich his partner with the gift ofhimself.

Again, this love is faithful and exclusive until death. Thusin fact do bride and groom conceive it to be on the day when they freely and infull awareness assume the duty of the marriage bond. A fidelity, this, whichcan sometimes be difficult, but is always possible, always noble andmeritorious, as no one can deny. The example of so many married persons downthrough the centuries shows, not only that fidelity is according to the natureof marriage, but also that it is a source of profound and lasting happiness.

And finally this love is fecund for it is not exhausted bythe communion between husband and wife, but is destined to continue, raising upnew lives. "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained towardthe begetting and educating of children. Children are really the supreme giftof marriage and contribute very substantially to the welfare of theirparents" [8].

Responsible Parenthood

10. Hence conjugal love requires in husband and wife anawareness of their mission of "responsible parenthood," which todayis rightly much insisted upon, and which also must be exactly understood.Consequently it is to be considered under different aspects which arelegitimate and connect with one another.

In relation to the biological processes, responsibleparenthood means the knowledge and respect of their functions; human intellectdiscovers in the power of giving life biological laws which are part of thehuman person [9].

In relation to the tendencies of instinct and passion,responsible parenthood means that necessary dominion which reason and will mustexercise over them.

In relation to physical, economic, psychological and socialconditions, responsible parenthood is exercised, either by the deliberate andgenerous decision to raise a numerous family, or by the decision, made forgrave motives and with due respect for the moral law, to avoid for the timebeing, or even for an indeterminate period, a new birth.

Responsible parenthood also and above all implies a moreprofound relationship to the objective moral order established by God, of whicha right conscience is the faithful interpreter. The responsible exercise ofparenthood implies, therefore, that husband and wife recognize fully their ownduties towards God, towards themselves, towards the family and towards society,in a correct hierarchy of values.

In the task of transmitting life, therefore, they are notfree to proceed completely at will, as if they could determine in a whollyautonomous way the honest path to follow; but they must conform their activityto the creative intention of God, expressed in the very nature of marriage andof its acts, and manifested by the constant teaching of the Church [10].

Respect for the Nature and Purpose of the Marriage Act

11. These acts, by which husband and wife are united inchaste intimacy, and by means of which human life is transmitted, are, as theCouncil recalled, "noble and worthy" [11], and they do not cease tobe lawful if, for causes independent of the will of the husband and wife, theyare foreseen to be infecund, since they always remain ordained towards expressingand consolidating their union. In fact, as experience bears witness, not everyconjugal act is followed by new life. God has wisely disposed natural laws andrhythms of fecundity which, of themselves, cause a separation in the successionof births. Nonetheless the

Church, calling men back to the observance of the norms ofthe natural law, as interpreted by their constant doctrine, teaches that eachand every marriage act (quilibet matrimonii usus) must remain open to thetransmission of life [12].

Two Inseparable Aspects: Union and Procreation

12. That teaching, often set forth by the magisterium, isfounded upon the inseparable connection, willed by God and unable to be brokenby man on his own initiative, between the two meanings of the conjugal act: theunitive meaning and the procreative meaning. Indeed, by its intimate structure,the conjugal act, while most closely uniting husband and wife, capacitates themfor the generation of new lives, according to laws inscribed in the very beingof man and of woman. By safeguarding both these essential aspects, the unitiveand the procreative, the conjugal act preserves in its fullness the sense oftrue mutual love

and its ordination towards man's most high calling toparenthood. We believe that the men of our day are particularly capable ofseizing the deeply reasonable and human character of this fundamentalprinciple.

Faithfulness to God's Design

13. It is in fact justly observed that a conjugal actimposed upon one's partner without regard for his or her condition and lawfuldesires is not a true act of love, and therefore denies an exigency of moralright order in the relationships between husband and wife. Likewise, if theyconsider the matter, they must admit that an act of mutual love, which isdetrimental to the faculty of propagating life, which God the Creator of all,has implanted in it according to special laws, is in contradiction to both thedivine plan, according to whose norm matrimony has been instituted, and thewill of the Author of human life. To use this

divine gift destroying, even if only partially, its meaningand its purpose is to contradict also the plan of God and His will. On theother hand, to make use of the gift of conjugal love while respecting the lawsof the generative process means to acknowledge oneself not to be the arbiter ofthe sources of human life, but rather the minister of the design established bythe Creator. In fact, just as man does not have unlimited dominion over hisbody in general, so also, with particular reason, he has no such dominion overhis generative faculties as such, because of their intrinsic ordination towardsraising up life, of which God is the principle. "Human life issacred," Pope John XXIII recalled; "from its inception it reveals thecreating hand of God" [13].

Illicit Ways of Regulating Birth

14. In conformity with these landmarks in the human andChristian vision of marriage, we must once again declare that the directinterruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, directlywilled and procured abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are to beabsolutely excluded as licit means of regulating birth [14].

Equally to be excluded, as the teaching authority of theChurch has frequently declared, is direct sterilization, whether perpetual ortemporary, whether of the man or of the woman [15]. Similarly excluded is everyaction which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in itsaccomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, propose, whetheras an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible [16].

To justify conjugal acts made intentionally infecund, onecannot invoke as valid reasons the lesser evil, or the fact that such actswould constitute a whole together with the fecund acts already performed or tofollow later, and hence would share in one and the same moral goodness. Intruth, if it is sometimes licit to tolerate a lesser evil in order to avoid agreater evil to promote a greater good [17], it is not licit, even for thegravest reasons, to do evil so that good may follow therefrom [18]; that is tomake into the object of a positive act of the will something which isintrinsically disorder, and hence unworthy of the human person, even when theintention is to safeguard or promote individual, family or social well-being.Consequently it is an error to think that a conjugal act which is deliberatelymade infecund and so is intrinsically dishonest could be made honest and rightby the ensemble of a fecund conjugal life.

Licitness of Therapeutic Means

15. The Church, on the contrary, does not at all considerillicit the use of those therapeutic means truly necessary to cure diseases ofthe organism, even if an impediment to procreation, which may be foreseen,should result therefrom, provided such impediment is not, for whatever motive,directly willed [19].

Licitness of Recourse to Infecund Periods

16. To this teaching of the Church on conjugal morals, theobjection is made today, as we observed earlier (no. 3), that it is theprerogative of the human intellect to dominate the energies offered byirrational nature and to orientate them towards an end conformable to the goodof man. Now some may ask: in the present case, is it not reasonable in manycircumstances to have recourse to artificial birth control if, thereby, wesecure the harmony and peace of the family, and better conditions for theeducation of the children already born? To this question it is necessary toreply with clarity: the Church is the first to praise and recommend theintervention of intelligence in a function which so closely associates therational creature with his Creator; but she affirms that this must be done withrespect for the order established by God.

If, then, there are serious motives to space out births,which derive from the physical or psychological conditions of husband and wife,or from external conditions, the Church teaches that it is then licit to takeinto account the natural rhythms immanent in the generative functions, for the useof marriage in the infecund periods only, and in this way to regulate birthwithout offending the moral principles which have been recalled earlier [20].

The Church is coherent with herself when she considersrecourse to the infecund periods to be licit, while at the same timecondemning, as being always illicit, the use of means directly contrary tofecundation, even if such use is inspired by reasons which may appear honestand serious. In reality, there are essential differences between the two cases;in the former, the married couple make legitimate use of a natural disposition;in the latter, they impede the development of natural processes. It is truethat, in the one and the other case, the married couple are concordant in thepositive will of avoiding children for plausible reasons,

seeking the certainty that offspring will not arrive; but itis also true that only in the former case are they able to renounce the use ofmarriage in the fecund periods when, for just motives, procreation is not desirable,while making use of it i during infecund periods to manifest their affectionand to safeguard their mutual fidelity. By so doing, they give proof of a trulyand integrally honest love.

Grave Consequences of Methods of Artificial Birth Control

17. Upright men can even better convince themselves of thesolid grounds on which the teaching of the Church in this field is based, ifthey care to reflect upon the consequences of methods of artificial birthcontrol. Let them consider, first of all, how wide and easy a road would thusbe opened up towards conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality.Not much experience is needed in order to know human weakness, and tounderstand that men -- especially the young, who are so vulnerable on this point-- have need of encouragement to be faithful to the moral law, so that theymust not be offered some easy means of eluding its observance. It is also to befeared that the man, growing used to the employment of anti-conceptivepractices, may finally lose respect for the woman and, no longer caring for herphysical and psychological equilibrium, may come to the point of consideringher as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer his respected andbeloved companion.

Let it be considered also that a dangerous weapon would thusbe placed in the hands of those public authorities who take no heed of moralexigencies. Who could blame a government for applying to the solution of theproblems of the community those means acknowledged to be licit for marriedcouples in the solution of a family problem? Who will stop rulers fromfavoring, from even imposing upon their peoples, if they were to consider itnecessary, the method of contraception which they judge to be more efficacious?In such a way men, wishing to avoid individual, family, or social difficultiesencountered in the observance of the divine law, would reach the point ofplacing at the mercy of the intervention of public authorities the mostpersonal and most reserved sector of conjugal intimacy.

Consequently, if the mission of generating life is not to beexposed to the arbitrary will of men, one must necessarily recognizeinsurmountable limits to the possibility of man's domination over his own bodyand its functions; limits which no man, whether a private individual or oneinvested with authority, may licitly surpass. And such limits cannot bedetermined otherwise than by the respect due to the integrity of the humanorganism and its functions, according to the principles recalled earlier, andalso according to the correct understanding of the "principle oftotality" illustrated by our predecessor Pope Pius XII [21].

The Church Guarantor of True Human Values

18. It can be foreseen that this teaching will perhaps notbe easily received by all: Too numerous are those voices -- amplified by themodern means of propaganda -- which are contrary to the voice of the Church. Totell the truth, the Church is not surprised to be made, like her divineFounder, a "sign of contradiction" [22], yet she does not because ofthis cease to proclaim with humble firmness the entire moral law, both naturaland evangelical. Of such laws the Church was not the author, nor consequentlycan she be their arbiter; she is only their depositary and their interpreter,without ever being able to declare to be licit that which is not so by reasonof its intimate and unchangeable opposition to the true good of man.

In defending conjugal morals in their integral wholeness,the Church knows that she contributes toward the establishment of a truly humancivilization; she engages man not to abdicate from his own responsibility inorder to rely on technical means; by that very fact she defends the dignity ofman and wife. Faithful to both the teaching and the example of the Saviour, sheshows herself to be the sincere and disinterested friend of men, whom shewishes to help, even during their earthly sojourn, "to share as sons inthe life of the living of God, the Father of all men" [23].

III.PASTORAL DIRECTIVES

The Church: Mater et Magistra

19. Our words would not be an adequate expression of thethought and solicitude of the Church, Mother and Teacher of all peoples, if,after having recalled men to the observance and respect of the divine lawregarding matrimony, we did not strengthen them in the path of honestregulation of birth, even amid the difficult conditions which today afflictfamilies and peoples. The Church, in fact, cannot have a different conducttowards men than that of the Redeemer: She knows their weaknesses, hascompassion on the crowd, receives sinners; but she cannot renounce the teachingof the law which is, in reality, that law proper to a human life restored toits original truth and conducted by the spirit of God [24].

Possibility of Observing the Divine Law

20. The teaching of the Church on the regulation of birth,which promulgates the divine law, will easily appear to many to be difficult oreven impossible of actuation. And indeed, like all great beneficent realities,it demands serious engagement and much effort, individual, family and socialeffort. More than that, it would not be practicable without the help of God,who upholds and strengthens the good will of men. Yet, to anyone who reflectswell, it cannot but be clear that such efforts ennoble man and are beneficialto the human community.

Mastery of Self

21. The honest practice of regulation of birth demands firstof all that husband and wife acquire and possess solid convictions concerningthe true values of life and of the family, and that they tend towards securingperfect self-mastery. To dominate instinct by means of one's reason and freewill undoubtedly requires ascetical practices, so that the affectivemanifestations of conjugal life may observe the correct order, in particularwith regard to the observance of periodic continence. Yet this discipline whichis proper to the purity of married couples, far from harming conjugal love,rather confers on it a higher human value. It demands continual effort yet,thanks to its beneficent influence, husband and wife fully develop theirpersonalities, being enriched with spiritual values. Such discipline bestowsupon family life fruits of serenity and peace, and facilitates the solution ofother problems; it fosters attention for one's partner, helps both parties todrive out selfishness, the enemy of true love; and deepens their sense ofresponsibility. By its means, parents acquire the capacity of having a deeperand more efficacious influence in the education of their offspring: littlechildren and youths grow up with a just appraisal of human values, and in theserene and harmonious development of their spiritual and sensitive faculties.

Creating an Atmosphere Favorable to Chastity

22. On this occasion, we wish to draw the attention ofeducators, and of all who perform duties of responsibility in regard to thecommon good of human society, to the need of creating an atmosphere favorableto education in chastity, that is, to the triumph of healthy liberty overlicense by means of respect for the moral order.

Everything in the modern media of social communication whichleads to sense excitation and unbridled customs, as well as every form ofpornography and licentious performances, must arouse the frank and unanimousreaction of all those who are solicitous for the progress of civilization andthe defense of the common good of the human spirit. Vainly would one seek tojustify such deprivation with the pretext of artistic or scientific exigencies[25], or to deduce an argument from the freedom allowed in this sector by thepublic authorities.

Appeal to Public Authorities

23. To Rulers, who are those principally responsible for thecommon good, and who can do so much to safeguard moral customs, we say: Do notallow the morality of your peoples to be degraded; do not permit that by legalmeans practices contrary to the natural and divine law be introduced into thatfundamental cell, the family. Quite other is the way in which publicauthorities can and must contribute to the solution of the demographic problem:namely, the way of a provident policy for the family, of a wise education ofpeoples in respect of moral law and the liberty of citizens.

We are well aware of the serious difficulties experienced bypublic authorities in this regard, especially in the developing countries. Totheir legitimate preoccupations we devoted our encyclical letter PopulorumProgressio. But with our predecessor Pope John XXIII, we repeat: no solution tothese difficulties is acceptable "which does violence to man's essentialdignity" and is based only on an utterly materialistic conception of manhimself and of his

life. The only possible solution to this question is onewhich envisages the social and economic progress both of individuals and of thewhole human society, and which respects and promotes true human values [26].Neither can one, without grave injustice, consider divine providence to beresponsible for what depends, instead, on a lack of wisdom in government, on aninsufficient sense of social justice, on selfish monopolization, or again onblameworthy indolence in confronting the efforts and the sacrifices necessaryto ensure the raising of living standards of a people and all of its sons [27].

May all responsible public authorities -- as some arealready doing so laudably -- generously revive their efforts. And may mutualaid between all the members of the great human family never cease to grow: Thisis an almost limitless field which thus opens up to the activity of the greatinternational organizations.

To Men of Science

24. We wish now to express our encouragement to men ofscience, who "can considerably advance the welfare of marriage and thefamily, along with peace of conscience, if by pooling their efforts they laborto explain more thoroughly the various conditions favoring a proper regulationof births" [28]. It is particularly desirable that, according to the wishalready expressed by Pope Pius XII, medical science succeed in providing asufficiently secure basis for a regulation of birth, founded on the observanceof natural rhythms [29]. In this way, scientists and especially Catholicscientists will contribute to demonstrate in actual fact that, as the Churchteaches, "a true contradiction cannot exist between the divine lawspertaining to the transmission of life and those pertaining to the fostering ofauthentic conjugal love" [30].

To Christian Husbands and Wives

25. And now our words more directly address our own children,particularly those whom God calls to serve Him in marriage. The Church, whileteaching imprescriptible demands of the divine law, announces the tidings ofsalvation, and by means of the sacraments opens up the paths of grace, whichmakes man a new creature, capable of corresponding with love and true freedomto the design of his Creator and Saviour, and of finding the yoke of Christ tobe sweet

[31].

Christian married couples, then, docile to her voice, mustremember that their Christian vocation, which began at baptism, is furtherspecified and reinforced by the sacrament of matrimony. By it husband and wifeare strengthened and as it were consecrated for the faithful accomplishment oftheir proper duties, for the carrying out of their proper vocation even toperfection, and the Christian witness which is proper to them before the wholeworld [32]. To them the Lord entrusts the task of making visible to men theholiness and sweetness of the law which unites the mutual love of husband andwife with their cooperation with the love of God the author of human life.

We do not at all intend to hide the sometimes seriousdifficulties inherent in the life of Christian married persons; for them as foreveryone else, "the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads tolife" [33]. But the hope of that life must illuminate their way, as withcourage they strive to live with wisdom, justice and piety in this present time[34], knowing that the figure of this world passes away [35].

Let married couples, then, face up to the efforts needed,supported by the faith and hope which "do not disappoint ... because God'slove has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has beengiven to us" [36]; let them implore divine assistance by persevering prayer;above all, let them draw from the source of grace and charity in the Eucharist.And if sin should still keep its hold over them, let them not be discouraged,but rather have recourse with humbler perseverance to the mercy of God, whichis poured forth in the sacrament of Penance. In this way they will be enabledto achieve the fullness of conjugal life described by the Apostle:"husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church ... husbands shouldlove their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Forno man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ doesthe Church ... this is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ andthe Church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let thewife see that she respects her husband" [37].

Apostolate in Homes

26. Among the fruits which ripen forth from a generouseffort of fidelity to the divine law, one of the most precious is that marriedcouples themselves not infrequently feel the desire to communicate theirexperience to others. Thus there comes to be included in the vast pattern ofthe vocation of the laity a new and most noteworthy form of the apostolate oflike to like; it is married couples themselves who become apostles and guidesto other married couples. This is assuredly, among so many forms of apostolate,one of those which seem most opportune today [38].

To Doctors and Medical Personnel

27. We hold those physicians and medical personnel in thehighest esteem who, in the exercise of their profession, value above everyhuman interest the superior demands of their Christian vocation. Let thempersevere, therefore, in promoting on every occasion the discovery of solutionsinspired by faith and right reason, let them strive to arouse this convictionand this respect in their associates. Let them also consider as their properprofessional duty the task of acquiring all the knowledge needed in thisdelicate sector, so as to be able to give to those married persons who consultthem wise counsel and healthy

direction, such as they have a right to expect.

To Priests

28. Beloved priest sons, by vocation you are the counselorsand spiritual guides of individual persons and of families. We now turn to youwith confidence. Your first task -- especially in the case of those who teachmoral theology -- is to expound the Church's teaching on marriage withoutambiguity. Be the first to give, in the exercise of your ministry, the exampleof loyal internal and external obedience to the teaching authority of theChurch. That obedience, as you know well, obliges not only because of thereasons adduced, but rather because of the light of the Holy Spirit, which isgiven in a particular way to the pastors of the Church in order that they mayillustrate the truth [39]. You know, too, that it is of the utmost importance,for peace of consciences and for the unity of the Christian people, that in thefield of morals as well as in that of dogma, all should attend to themagisterium of the Church, and all should speak the same language. Hence, withall our heart we renew to you the heartfelt plea of the great Apostle Paul:"I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, that allof you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be unitedin the same mind and the same judgement" [40].

29. To diminish in no way the saving teaching of Christconstitutes an eminent form of charity for souls. But this must even beaccompanied by patience and goodness, such as the Lord himself gave example ofin dealing with men. Having come not to condemn but to save [41], he was indeedintransigent with evil but merciful towards individuals.

In their difficulties, may married couples always find, inwords and in the heart of a priest, the echo of the voice and the love of theRedeemer.

And then speak with confidence, beloved sons, fullyconvinced that the Spirit of God, while He assists the magisterium in proposingdoctrine, illumines internally the hearts of the faithful inviting them to givetheir assent. Teach married couples the indispensable way of prayer; preparethem to the recourse often and with faith to the sacraments of the Eucharistand of Penance, without ever allowing themselves to be discouraged by their ownweakness.

To Bishops

30. Beloved and venerable brothers in the episcopate, withwhom we most intimately share the solicitude of the spiritual good of thePeople of God, at the conclusion of this encyclical our reverent andaffectionate thoughts turn to you. To all of you we extend an urgentinvitation. At the head of the priests, your collaborators, and of yourfaithful, work ardently and incessantly for the safeguarding and the holinessof marriage, so that it may always be lived in its entire human and Christianfullness. Consider this mission as one of your most urgent responsibilities atthe present time. As you know, it implies concerted pastoral action in all thefields of human activity, economic cultural and social; for, in fact, only asimultaneous improvement in these various sectors will make it possible torender the life of parents and of children within their families not onlytolerable, but easier and more joyous, to render living together in human societymore fraternal and peaceful, in faithfulness to God's design for the world.

FINAL APPEAL

31. Venerable brothers, most beloved sons, and all men ofgood will, great indeed is the work of education, of progress and of love towhich we call you, upon the foundation of the Church's teaching, of which thesuccessor of Peter is, together with his brothers in the episcopate, the depositaryand interpreter. Truly a great work, as we are deeply convinced, both for theworld and for the Church, since man cannot find true happiness -- towards whichhe aspires with all his being -- other than in respect of the laws written byGod in his very nature, laws which he must observe with intelligence and love.Upon this work, and upon all of you, and especially upon married couples,weinvoke the abundant graces of the God of holiness and mercy, and in pledgethereof we impart to you all our apostolic blessing.

Given at Rome, from St. Peter's, this 25th day of July,feast of St. James the Apostle, in the year 1968, the sixth of our pontificate.

PAULUS PP. VI

1.Cf. Pius IX, Encyclical QUI PLURIBUS, Nov. 9, 1846: PII IX P.M. ActaI, 9-10; St. Pius X, Encyclical SINGULARI QUANDAM, Sept. 24, 1912: AAS IV(1912), 658; Pius XI, Encyclical

CASTI CONNUBII, Dec. 31, 1930:AAS XXII (1930), 579-581; Pius XII, Alloc. MAGNIFICATE DOMINUM to theepiscopate of the Catholic world, Nov. 2, 1954: AAS XLVI (1954),

671-672; John XXIII,Encyclical MATER ET MAGISTRA, May 15, 1961: AAS LIII (1961), 457.

2.Cf. Matt. 28:18-19.

3.Cf. Matt. 7:21.

4.Cf. CATECHISMUS ROMANUS CONCILII TRIDENTINI, Part II, ch. VIII; LeoXIII, Encycl. ARCANUM, Feb. 19, 1880: ACTA LEONIS XIII, II (1881), 26-29; PiusXI, Encyclical DIVINI

ILLIUS MAGISTRI, Dec. 31, 1929: AAS XXII (1930), 58-61;Encyclical. CASTI CONNUBII: AAS XXII (1930), 545-546; Pius XII, Alloc. to theItalian medico-biological union of St.

Luke, Nov. 12, 1944: Discorsie Radiomessaggi VI, 191- 192; to the Italian Catholic union of midwives, Oct.29, 1951: AAS XLIII (1951), 857-859; to the seventh Congress of the

International Society ofHaematology, Sept. 12, 1958: AAS L (1958), 734-735; John XXIII, EncyclicalMATER ET MAGISTRA: AAS LIII (1961), 446-447; CODEX IURIS CANONICI,

Can. 1067; Can. 1968, S 1;Can. 1066, S 1-2; Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution GAUDIUM ETSPES, nos. 47-52.

5.Cf. Paul VI, Alloc. to the Sacred College, June 23, 1964: AAS LVI(1964), 588; to the Commission for the Study of Problems of Population, Familyand Birth, March 27, 1965: AAS

LVII (1965), 388; to theNational Congress of the Italian Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oct.29, 1966: AAS LVIII (1966), 1168.

6.Cf. I John 4:8.

7.Cf. Eph. 3:15.

8.Cf. Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution GAUDIUM ET SPES, no.50.

9.Cf. St. Thomas, SUMMA THEOLOGICA, I-II, q. 94, art. 2.

10.Cf. Pastoral Constitution GAUDIUM ET SPES, nos. 50, 51.

11.Ibid, no. 49.

12.Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical CASTI CONNUBBII: AAS XXII (1930), 560; PiusXII: AAS XLIII (1951), 843.

13.Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical MATER ET MAGISTRA: AAS LIII (1961), 447.

14.Cf. CATECHISMUS ROMANUS CONCILII TRIDENTINI, part II, Ch. VIII; PiusXI, Encyc. CASTI CONNUBII: AAS XXII (1930), 562-564; Pius XII, DISCORSI ERADIOMESSAGGI VI

(19440, 191-192: AAS XLIII(1951), 842-843, 857-859; John XXIII, Encyclical PACEM IN TERRIS, Apr. 11,1963: AAS LV (1963), 259-260: GAUDIUM ET SPES, no. 51.

15.Cf. Pius XI, Encyclical CASTI CONNUBBII: AAS XXII (1930), 565; decreeof the Holy Office, Feb. 22, 1940: AAS L (1958), 734-735.

16.Cf. CATECHISMUS ROMANUS CONCILII TRIDENTINI, part II, ch. VIII; PiusXI, Encyclical CASTI CONNUBII: AAS XXII (1930), 559-561; Pius XII: AAS XLIII(1951), 843, AAS L

(1958), 734-735; John XXIII,Encyclical MATER ET MAGISTRA: AAS LIII (1961), 447.

17.Cf. Pius XII, Alloc. to the National Congress of the Union ofCatholic Jurists, Dec. 6, 1953: AAS XLV (1953), 798-799.

 18.Cf. Rom. 3:8.

19.Cf. Pius XII, Alloc. to Congress of the Italian Association ofUrology, Oct. 8, 1953: AAS XLV (1953), 674-675, AAS L (1958), 734- 735.

20.Cf. Pius XII: AAS XLIII (1951), 846.

21.Cf. AAS XLV (1953), 674-675; AAS XLVIII (1956), 461-462.

22.Cf. Luke 2:34.

23.Cf. Paul VI. Encyclical POPULORUM PROGRESSIO, March 26, 1957, no. 21.

24.Cf. Rom. 8.

25.Cf. Second Vatican Council, decree INTER MIRIFICA, On the Media ofSocial Communication, nos. 6-7.

26.Cf. Encyclical MATER ET MAGISTRA: AAS LIII (1961), 447.

27.Cf. Encyclical POPULORUM PROGRESSIO, nos. 48-55.

28.Cf. Pastoral constitution GUADIUM ET SPES, no. 52.

29.Cf. AAS XLIII (1951), 859.

30.Cf. Pastoral const. GAUDIUM ET SPES, no. 51.

31.Cf. Matt. 11:30.

32.Cf. Pastoral const. GAUDIUM ET SPES, no. 48; Second Vatican Council,Dogmatic Constitution on the Church LUMEN GENTIUM, no. 35.

33.Matt. 7:14; cf. Heb. 11:12.

34.Cf. Tit. 2:12.

35.Cf. I Cor. 7:31.

36.Cf. Rom. 5:5.

37.Eph. 5:25, 28-29,32-33.

38.Cf. Dogmatic Constitution LUMEN GENTIUM, nos. 35 and 41; PastoralConstitution GUADIUM ET SPES, nos. 48-49; Second Vatican Council, DecreeAPOSTOLICAM

ACTUOSITATEM, no. 11.

39.Cf. Dogmatic Constitution LUMEN GENTIUM, no. 25.

40.Cf. I Cor. 1:10.

41.Cf. John 3:17.