Vatican City, May 12, 2008 / 08:13 am
On Saturday, Pope Benedict addressed members of an international conference marking the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of “Humanae Vitae.” The Holy Father told the participants that new technological developments cannot replace the quality of marital love or the sacredness of life.
Noting that the letter by Pope Paul VI was published on July 25, 1968, Benedict XVI recalled the controversy that surrounded the encyclical as it upheld the tradition and doctrine of the Church regarding the use of artificial birth control.
Despite such controversy, he explained that the letter’s instruction remains relevant even today, "The truth expressed in Humanae vitae does not change," he said. In fact, “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…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."