Vatican shift on contraception could signal hope for millions

From Ekklesia -24/11/06

A new study commissioned by Pope Benedict contemplates the possibility of allowing married Catholic couples to use condoms if one of them is HIV positive, according to La Repubblica newspaper. If true, this could be the first major adjustment to the Roman Catholic teaching on contraception which the Church claims preserves the integrity of family values, and which critics (including a growing band of Catholics with significant pastoral responsibilities) say has condemned millions to disease and death. Mexican Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, who heads up the papal department responsible for health issues, said earlier this week that he had completed the first stage of the review.

The resulting 200-page report, reflecting diverse opinion within the church, had been sent to the Pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – which enforces official doctrine, and was formerly headed up by Benedict XVI when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. Barragan has not revealed the report's conclusions, but he is known to favour of reform himself. It is still possible, however, that the CDF or the pontiff himself will block change. But senior theologians have been arguing for some time that a softening of their line of contraception would not impact any other major issues of Catholic belief.

There has been some speculation that Pope Benedict would discuss this issue privately with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. But Vatican watchers are sanguine about this. Dr Williams himself has explored sexuality in a more radical way, through an earlier lecture and booklet called The Body's Grace. This not only affirmed the Christian appropriateness of contraception, but said that the same arguments that supported it also removed central theological objections to faithful gay relationships.

It was this view, albeit rooted in the orthodox Christian tradition, which caused so much controversy among hardliners when Dr Williams was elected 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. He has since declined to elaborate further on his personal theological views on homosexuality, saying his priority is to hold the Church together in the midst of its often vituperative disputes. Meanwhile, Pope Benedict seems to be following his Anglican colleague in differentiating between personal and official views. He has written a scholarly meditation on Jesus to be published in Spring 2007, which he says is open to criticism and is not a work of Catholic doctrine – though it upholds the traditional view of Christ from a historical and narrative argument.

[At least it’s good to see the Catholic Church join the rest of us in the reality of the 21st Century. Baby steps to be sure but they are slowly moving in the right direction.]