"I hope young people will do what they do in the classroom, which is try to be courageous and formulate a question," he told CNA. "You… kind of learn how to have good discussion through having the courage to ask questions."
Humanae Vitae, the 1968 encyclical by Pope Paul VI, affirms the Church's teaching against contraception. It talks about the dignity of human life and sexuality, and outlines the use of Natural Family Planning as a morally valid method of planning and spacing children.
Amy McInerny, respect life director for the Diocese of Arlington, helped in the genesis of the diocesan conversation project. She said she hopes to spread Humanae Vitae's message to a world hungry for something "substantial."
"If you look at Humanae Vitae, it's a beautiful document bubbling over with truth, designed to make people happy and holy. And so many people, as we know, reject the Church's teaching on artificial contraception," she said, adding that the diocese wants to "[take] the message to where the people are" - social media.
In the encyclical, Paul VI predicted that if the use of contraception became widespread, society would see devastating consequences, including an increase in marital infidelity and general decline of moral standards, the possibility of governments using coercive measures to force contraceptive use upon people, a loss of respect for women, and a general decrease in humility regarding humanity's dominion over the human body.
Each of these predictions has come true in the modern era, said Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington.