Casti Connubii
Encyclopedia
Castī Connūbiī was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius XI
on December 31, 1930 in response to the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican church. It stressed the sanctity of marriage
, prohibited Catholics from using any form of artificial birth control
, and reaffirmed the prohibition on abortion
. It also explained the authority of Church doctrine on moral matters, and advocated that civil governments follow the lead of the Church in this area.
Summa Theologica; Saint Augustine On the Goods of Marriage). This encyclical reaffirms that marriage is a sacrament, equal in stature to remaining virginal and unmarried.
The encyclical also affirms the Church's opposition to adultery and divorce, and its support of wives as home-makers. It calls for wives to be obedient to their husbands, while commanding husbands to love their wives as "Christ loved His Church".
laws, popular at that time, that forbade those deemed 'unfit' from marrying and having children:
was an attempt to create children. At the time, there was no official church position on any non-procreative purposes of intercourse. Casti Connubii does repeat several times that the conjugal act is intrinsically tied with procreation:
However, Casti Connubii also acknowledges the unitive aspect of intercourse as licit:
Casti Connubii also reaffirms the dignity of the human conjugal act as distinct from the conjugal acts of animals, by its volitive nature; that is, the act is not merely biological
but rooted in the will and therefore a personal act.
The 'natural reasons of time or of certain defects' are universally accepted as meaning menopause
and infertility
. This paragraph thus means menopausal and infertile couples
may morally engage in intercourse, even though there is no possibility of children resulting
from the act, as long as it is done for serious reasons, and not merely as a contraceptive.
The 'natural reasons of time' is interpreted by some to also mean the infertile portion
of a woman's menstrual cycle
. The practice of avoiding pregnancy by abstaining from sexual relations when the woman is fertile (natural family planning
) was first addressed in rulings by the Sacred Penitentiary
in 1853 and 1880, which declared the practice moral. However, a few Catholic theologians continued to hold that such practices were equivalent
to contraception and thus immoral, and some historians consider two 1951 speeches by Pope Pius XII
to be the first explicit Church acceptance of natural family planning. The modern Church's view of contraception was explored further in the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae
by Pope Paul VI
, and by Pope John Paul II
's lecture series later entitled Theology of the Body
.
, Margaret Sanger
gave her personal reaction to the encyclical, saying that it was an obstacle to general approval of the birth-control movement by political leaders unwilling to oppose the leadership of the Church. She also asserts that it is “not in accord with science and definitely against social welfare and race improvement”.
Casti Connubii is most noted for its anti-contraception position. Unlike major Protestant denominations, the Catholic Church has continued its opposition to artificial birth control. This encyclical, along with Humanae Vitae
, has come to represent that stance.
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
on December 31, 1930 in response to the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican church. It stressed the sanctity of marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, prohibited Catholics from using any form of artificial birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
, and reaffirmed the prohibition on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. It also explained the authority of Church doctrine on moral matters, and advocated that civil governments follow the lead of the Church in this area.
Topics
Casti Connubii was a response to the Lambeth Conference of 1930 in which the Anglican Community approved the use of birth control in limited circumstances. It covered four major topics: the sanctity of marriage, opposition to eugenics, positions on birth control and the purpose of sexuality, and reaffirmation of the prohibition on abortion.Sanctity of marriage
Catholic doctrine has always considered Matrimony to be a most holy state of life for those called to the married life (Thomas AquinasThomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
Summa Theologica; Saint Augustine On the Goods of Marriage). This encyclical reaffirms that marriage is a sacrament, equal in stature to remaining virginal and unmarried.
The encyclical also affirms the Church's opposition to adultery and divorce, and its support of wives as home-makers. It calls for wives to be obedient to their husbands, while commanding husbands to love their wives as "Christ loved His Church".
Eugenics opposition
Casti Connubii speaks out against the eugenicsEugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
laws, popular at that time, that forbade those deemed 'unfit' from marrying and having children:
- Those who act in this way are at fault in losing sight of the fact that the family is more sacred than the State and that men are begotten not for the earth and for time, but for Heaven and eternity.
Birth control and the purpose of sexuality
Prior to this encyclical, it was believed by some Catholics that the only licit reason for sexual intercourseSexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
was an attempt to create children. At the time, there was no official church position on any non-procreative purposes of intercourse. Casti Connubii does repeat several times that the conjugal act is intrinsically tied with procreation:
- . . . any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin.
However, Casti Connubii also acknowledges the unitive aspect of intercourse as licit:
- Nor are those considered as acting against nature who in the married state use their right in the proper manner although on account of natural reasons either of time or of certain defects, new life cannot be brought forth. For in matrimony as well as in the use of the matrimonial rights there are also secondary ends, such as mutual aid, the cultivating of mutual love, and the quieting of concupiscence which husband and wife are not forbidden to consider so long as they are subordinated to the primary end and so long as the intrinsic nature of the act is preserved.
Casti Connubii also reaffirms the dignity of the human conjugal act as distinct from the conjugal acts of animals, by its volitive nature; that is, the act is not merely biological
but rooted in the will and therefore a personal act.
The 'natural reasons of time or of certain defects' are universally accepted as meaning menopause
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
and infertility
Infertility
Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
. This paragraph thus means menopausal and infertile couples
may morally engage in intercourse, even though there is no possibility of children resulting
from the act, as long as it is done for serious reasons, and not merely as a contraceptive.
The 'natural reasons of time' is interpreted by some to also mean the infertile portion
of a woman's menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
. The practice of avoiding pregnancy by abstaining from sexual relations when the woman is fertile (natural family planning
Natural family planning
Natural family planning is a term referring to the family planning methods approved by the Roman Catholic Church. In accordance with the Church's requirements for sexual behavior in keeping with its philosophy of the dignity of the human person, NFP excludes the use of other methods of birth...
) was first addressed in rulings by the Sacred Penitentiary
Apostolic Penitentiary
The Apostolic Penitentiary, formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is one of the three tribunals of the Roman Curia. The Apostolic Penitentiary is chiefly a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Catholic Church.The...
in 1853 and 1880, which declared the practice moral. However, a few Catholic theologians continued to hold that such practices were equivalent
to contraception and thus immoral, and some historians consider two 1951 speeches by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
to be the first explicit Church acceptance of natural family planning. The modern Church's view of contraception was explored further in the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
, and by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
's lecture series later entitled Theology of the Body
Theology of the Body
Theology of the Body is the topic of a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in the Pope Paul VI Hall between September 1979 and November 1984. It was the first major teaching of his pontificate...
.
Abortion
This encyclical repeats the Church's condemnation of abortion in all circumstances. It also draws a connection between contracepting couples and couples that have abortions:- . . .those wicked parents who seek to remain childless, and failing in this, are not ashamed to put their offspring to death.
Reactions and impact
In a 1932 article published in The NationThe Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Higgins Sanger was an American sex educator, nurse, and birth control activist. Sanger coined the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established Planned Parenthood...
gave her personal reaction to the encyclical, saying that it was an obstacle to general approval of the birth-control movement by political leaders unwilling to oppose the leadership of the Church. She also asserts that it is “not in accord with science and definitely against social welfare and race improvement”.
Casti Connubii is most noted for its anti-contraception position. Unlike major Protestant denominations, the Catholic Church has continued its opposition to artificial birth control. This encyclical, along with Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...
, has come to represent that stance.