Able to synthesize

“Humanae Vitae as part of current events and as a provocation. A modern response to a multi-secular problem”. This was the theme of the Seminar held in Bucharest on May 27-28 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Council document and delve into pastoral and cultural challenges. The conference brought together Romanian and Italian scholars and theologians on the initiative of the Roman-Catholic theological Institute “Santa Teresa” and the “National Committee for the study of the principle of subsidiarity, solidarity and equality, from Leo XIII to the European Constitution”. Challenges to life. In his opening address, Msgr. Elio Sgreccia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, launched a cry of alarm: “It appears that not only present culture has turned its back to the inspiring concepts of Humanae Vitae”, also “science and bio-technology have devoted their research to a new construction of sexuality, procreation and the family”. “In the past decade – Msgr.Sgreccia said – pregnancy interruption techniques (like the morning-after pill) and the RU486, concealed abortion with the image of contraceptives. This now appears like a gigantic technological, financial and political effort aimed at separating the uniting dimension of the conjugal act from the procreational one: “yes to sexual union, no to children”. This situation was reached after a long historical process marked by a first stage (1960s-1980s) whereby contraception and abortion “were aimed at promoting sexual liberalization, separate from procreation”. We then passed to a second stage, that of “artificial procreation”, generating children “even out of wedlock”. This paved the way to new developments: “cloning, surrogate mothers, embryo experimentation, embryo stem cell extraction, to the point of male pregnancy”. “The final consequence – Msgr. Sgreccia concluded – is that the child becomes an option and love is an exercise of biopsychological dynamisms, detatched from spirituality and procreative responsibility”. Signs of hope. According to the President of the Pontifical Academy of Life, in order to make the central message of the Council document “fruitful”, it should become “fully human”. This means first of all “to give new evangelical impetus to the faithful, often scared and oppressed by a sentiment of defeat, and paralysed by the barriers of secularization”. This will be possible only by promoting a “circular document between faith and reason and between science and morals, a dialogue whereby reason is healed and enlightened and never weakened and shut off”. Young and adults “must be able to conflate” these issues since -Msgr.Sgreccia added – “it is mostly their testimony” which “gives solidity to the Magisterium’s appeals and to pastoral action, representing a providential reservoir capable of ensuring the continuity of the message and its penetration”. In this framework, signs of hope are visible in the spiritual groups and movements and in parishes, along with the contribution of the Family Study Center and increased theological studies on the part of the laity. Legal consequences. Does the encyclical still have legal value? Legislation – said jurist Alessandro d’Avack, President of the “Committee” which promoted the Italian-Romanian conference – “cannot be conditioned and secondary to the change in prevailing thought. Instead, it ought to preserve the principles of natural and ethical law which constitute the foundations of civil peaceful coexistence”. Hence, natural law and ethics will “enable the identification of guidelines which ought to be followed along with their social and political implications”. These guidelines reaffirm that the “family originates from marriage, which is its constitutional act”, and whose “primary members are the husband, the wife and children born of their union”. “This constitutes the basic structure of society and the very first foundation and pillar of legal order”. In recalling the Council document, Msgr. Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative texts, launched a series of appeals from Bucharest, recalling rulers’ responsibilities in highlighting the values pertaining to the common good. He equally recalled what is still defined as “the fundamental cell of the State”, i.e. the family and “scientists, who have the task to better define the different conditions which promote the honest regulation of human procreation”. The encyclical – the bishop recalled – “is an exhortation to doctors”, so they may “persist in promoting in all occasions the solutions inspired by faith and just reason”. “It is at the same time an exhortation to faith and reason” so that the health environment may step up efforts encouraging its respect and belief”.