[....]

The fact that the Church can err and has erred doesn’t mean she cannot uphold at the same time that when the Roman Pontiff proclaims by a definitive act, or speaks ex cathedra – that is “from the chair” of St. Peter, on some doctrine of faith or morals, his pronouncement and teaching enjoys the charism of infallibility. The two positions are not contrary to one another.
[....]

“Now if you come out of the Catholic tradition and you say that the Holy Spirit guides the bishops and the pope, are you now willing to say that the Holy Spirit allowed the bishops and the pope to make a mistake?” – Fr. Charles E. Curran as quoted by Charles Lewis in his article against HV

Fr. Curran, as those of you who have read Cardinal Stafford’s very disturbing account of the ugly aftermath of the publication of HV (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=675) will know, was the principal culprit behind the infamous “Statement of Dissent” that was issued by 87 U.S theologians and endorsed by 72 priests of the Baltimore area.

Pope Paul VI certainly had to take many factors into consideration in deciding against contraception, but the fear that his decision, if in favor of contraception, might be seen as an admission that the bishops and the pope could err even under the guidance of the Holy Spirit was not one of them.

The Catholic Church believes in and relies on Christ’s promise that “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against” her. But that doesn’t mean she will never make mistakes. Foreseeing the trials and temptations that awaited his Church and the blunders that she was bound to take, Jesus warned, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). Similarly, when in year 2000 JPII asked for forgiveness for the wrongs committed by the Church against women, Jews, heretics, and minorities over the centuries, he was in effect admitting that the bishops and the popes, while under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, were susceptible to errors and had in fact made errors due to human frailty.

One may wonder whether the admission to the human frailty of the pope and the Church Magisterium would in any way compromise the doctrine of infallibility. Not at all. The fact that the Church can err and has erred doesn’t mean she cannot uphold at the same time that when the Roman Pontiff proclaims by a definitive act, or speaks ex cathedra – that is “from the chair” of St. Peter, on some doctrine of faith or morals, his pronouncement and teaching enjoys the charism of infallibility. The two positions are not contrary to one another.

Now that the fallacy of Lewis’ allegations against HV has been fully exposed, we should have a better appreciation of the danger and deceitfulness of the world out there. It is full of misinformation and false assertions, and the target is often directed against the Church. We are stepping into a minefield as soon as we open up the newspaper, or turn on the TV, or surf the Internet. Be extra careful and very selective in what you read!

In concluding my refutation, I would like to thank the good brothers and sisters who offered encouragement, support, and prayers, and those who provided insightful suggestions and very informative references throughout the process. One of such references given me was Dennis Sadowski’s Catholic News Services report of July 18, 2008, in which Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix observed, “If Jesus says you should love the Lord your God with your whole soul, your whole mind, with all your might, that’s what HV asks of a married couple.” On this Feast day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which is also the day Pope Paul VI passed away, let’s pray that the prophetic teaching of HV and JPII’s Theology of the Body would help all men and women to rediscover the spousal meaning of the body. Let’s seek Our Lady’s intercession so that this new awakening will foster a renewed fervor amongst the Church faithful, propelling them to embrace with open heart the universal significance of chastity, marriage, family, and procreative love.

HV’s emphasis on sexuality is NOT, as Lewis claimed, “out of proportion to the whole of the Catholic moral life”; it is, in fact, the whole of the Catholic moral life! [....]

HV WAS DEVASTATING TO THE CHURCH’S CREDIBILITY - “Nothing was as devastating to the Church’s credibility as Humanae Vitae and the paralysis it generated…. It makes for dishonesty at the heart of the system … Do ordinary Catholics believe it’s a mortal sin? No, they do not. Do they believe their leaders think it’s a mortal sin? No, they do not. Yet we keep pretending.”

If the Church was to be sifted like wheat (cf. Luke 22:31), the sifting she endured in the post-HV period was as severe a hardship as Satan could ever inflict [....]

Further to my email of July 20, 2008, this is Part I of my refutation of Charles Lewis’ critical article on Humanae Vitae, “A Hard Pill To Swallow”, published in the National Post on Saturday, July 12, 2008.

(1) HV WAS A GIANT FLOP - “Looking back, it is difficult not to conclude the Pope’s attempt to put a lid on birth control was a giant flop: The ban has been almost universally ignored by the Catholic faithful.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I read the article because the comments Lewis made are essentially how I had seen the issue of contraception some years ago when my heart was still in dire need of the circumcision of the Holy Spirit. [....]

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God bless!
Edmond
— [...]

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