Ignoring the mountain of evidence, some maintain that the Church
considers the use of contraception a matter for each married couple to
decide according to their "individual conscience." Yet, nothing could

further from the truth. The Church has always maintained the historic
Christian teaching that deliberate acts of artificial birth control

always gravely sinful, which means that it is mortally sinful if done
with full knowledge and deliberate consent (CCC 1857). This teaching

definitive and irreformable. It cannot be changed and has been
proclaimed by the Church infallibly.

I don't think that the Pope has to declare something to be a mortal sin
to make it a mortal sin. Tradition counts a lot too. The Catholic
catechism declares contraception to be "intrinsically evil" which sounds
like a mortal sin to me:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm#IV

2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based
on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity
with the objective criteria of morality.157 These methods respect the
bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the
education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which,
whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment,
or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as
an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically
evil:158

In article <GgAuc.99988$hH.1775384@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
"Mike Painter" <mdotpainter@att.net> wrote:

"johac" <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote in message
news:jhachm-0AE466.22565830052004@news-60.giganews.com...

In article <40c29e56.70252735@news.ixpres.com>,
dshsfca@ixpres.com (D. Stephen Heersink) wrote:

Humanae Vitae, the papal document that condemns artificial birth
control, was merely an encyclical -- that is a pastoral letter. While
it may have contained dogmatic issues circumlocutious to birth
control, the encyclical is not a dogmatic statement of faith.
Catholics are required to read and learn the arguments contained in
that letter, and are urged to follow its recommendations. Whether or
not the use of contraceptive devices is a 'sin' is a matter of
personal conscience. If one does not believe in good faith that
contraception is wrong and is not convinced through one's conscience,
then the practice may still be sinful objectively, but only venially.
Venial sins don't preclude anyone from receiving communion.
Kind regards,

Back when I was in Catholic high school in the '50s, we were told that
it was definitely a mortal sin. Things may have changed since then but I
haven't heard so.

From a Catholic website:

http://www.catholic.com/library/birth_control.asp

---

Wishful Thinking


Ignoring the mountain of evidence, some maintain that the Church
considers the use of contraception a matter for each married couple to
decide according to their "individual conscience." Yet, nothing could be
further from the truth. The Church has always maintained the historic
Christian teaching that deliberate acts of artificial birth control are
always gravely sinful, which means that it is mortally sinful if done
with full knowledge and deliberate consent (CCC 1857). This teaching is
definitive and irreformable. It cannot be changed and has been
proclaimed by the Church infallibly.

There is no way to deny the fact that the Church's ordinary magisterium
(cf. Vatican II's document Lumen Gentium 25) has always and everywhere
condemned artificial contraception. The matter has already been
infallibly decided. The so-called "individual conscience" argument
amounts to "individual disobedience."

The church does not proclaim infallibility, only the pope can do that (after
1871, before that the magnistarium did the deed.)
No pope has made such a declaration and it is unlikely that even a most
conservative pope would do so.
Like marriage of priests (done in some countries) it is to political and
they need breathing room.

I doubt any pope will ever speak "ex-cathedra" on anything except issues
such as the ascension of Mary and other such meaningless things.

I don't think that the Pope has to declare something to be a mortal sin
to make it a mortal sin. Tradition counts a lot too. The Catholic
catechism declares contraception to be "intrinsically evil" which sounds
like a mortal sin to me:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm#IV

2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based
on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity
with the objective criteria of morality.157 These methods respect the
bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the
education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which,
whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment,
or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as
an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically
evil:158

Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal
self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by
an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving
oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal
to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of
conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.
. . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between
contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in
the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and
of human sexuality.
---

Then again, I'm not a Catholic theologian and have no intention to be
one.

On Mon, 31 May 2004 06:28:54 GMT, "Mike Painter" <mdotpainter@att.net>
wrote:

"johac" <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote in message
news:jhachm-0AE466.22565830052004@news-60.giganews.com...

In article <40c29e56.70252735@news.ixpres.com>,
dshsfca@ixpres.com (D. Stephen Heersink) wrote:

Humanae Vitae, the papal document that condemns artificial birth
control, was merely an encyclical -- that is a pastoral letter. While
it may have contained dogmatic issues circumlocutious to birth
control, the encyclical is not a dogmatic statement of faith.
Catholics are required to read and learn the arguments contained in
that letter, and are urged to follow its recommendations. Whether or
not the use of contraceptive devices is a 'sin' is a matter of
personal conscience. If one does not believe in good faith that
contraception is wrong and is not convinced through one's conscience,
then the practice may still be sinful objectively, but only venially.
Venial sins don't preclude anyone from receiving communion.
Kind regards,

Back when I was in Catholic high school in the '50s, we were told that
it was definitely a mortal sin. Things may have changed since then but

haven't heard so.

From a Catholic website:

http://www.catholic.com/library/birth_control.asp

Wow, even the official catholic site is blowing smoke up people's *****.

I quote from the site.
"Deuteronomy 23:1 condemns birth control by sterilization: "He whose
testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter
the assembly of the Lord." These were the methods of male
sterilization available in those days."

What is the next verse?
2 A ***** shall not enter into the assembly of Yahweh; even to the
tenth generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of Yahweh.

That has nothing to do with sterilization, it has to do with Yahweh
wanting only PERFECT people in his prescience.

Leviticus 21:17 "Say to Aaron, 'None of your seed throughout their
generations who has a blemish, may approach to offer the bread of his
God.
18 For whatever man he is that has a blemish, he shall not draw near:
a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity,
19 or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand,
20 or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or
an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles;
21 no man of the seed of Aaron the priest, who has a blemish, shall
come near to offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. Since has a
blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.

Did you ever wonder why the RCC doesn't want you the read the Bible?

That has nothing to do with sterilization, it has to do with Yahweh
wanting only PERFECT people in his prescience.