TECHNOLOGY CANNOT SUBSTITUTE THE ACT OF MARITAL LOVE
VATICAN CITY, 10 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI received participants in an
international congress being promoted by the Pontifical Lateran University in
Rome to mark the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the Encyclical
"Humanae vitae".
Recalling that the Encyclical was published by Pope Paul VI on 25 July
1968, the Pope highlighted how "the document soon became a sign of
contradiction", and pointed out that "it constitutes a significant show of
courage in reiterating the continuity of the Church's doctrine and tradition".
"The truth expressed in 'Humanae vitae 'does not change", he said, "quite
the contrary, in the light of new scientific discoveries its teaching becomes
more relevant and stimulates reflection on the intrinsic values it possesses".
The Holy Father affirmed that "in a culture suffering from the prevalence
of having over being, human life risks losing its value. If the practice of
sexuality becomes a drug that seeks to enslave the partner to one's own desires
and interests without respecting the times of the beloved, then what must be
defended is no longer just the concept of love but, primarily, the dignity of
the person. As believers we could never allow the power of technology to
invalidate the quality of love and the sacredness of life".
Natural law, he said, "deserves to be recognised as the source inspiring
the relationship between a married couple in their responsibility to generate
children. The transmission of life is inscribed in nature and its laws stand as
an unwritten norm to which everyone must refer".
Nascent life, said the Pope, "is the fruit of a love capable of thinking
and choosing in complete freedom, without allowing itself to be overly
conditioned by the sacrifice this may require. From here emerges the miracle of
life which parents experience in themselves as they sense the extraordinary
nature of what is achieved in them and through them. No mechanical technique
can substitute the act of love that husband and wife exchange as a sign of the
greater mystery, in which they are protagonists and co-participants of
creation".
After recalling the sad episodes that sometimes involve adolescents "whose
reactions display their incorrect appreciation of the mystery of life and of
the dangerous implications of their actions", the Holy Father expressed the
hope that young people "may learn the true meaning of love and prepare for it
with appropriate sexual education, not allowing themselves to be distracted by
superficial messages that prevent them appreciating the essence of the truth at
stake".
"Freedom must join with truth, and responsibility with strength of
dedication to others, also through sacrifice. Without these principles the
community of man does not develop and there is a risk of being trapped in
oppressive selfishness".
AC/ANNIVERSARY HUMANAE VITAE/...
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