Contretemps over Contraception

An American archbishop tells the Pope his policy is not working

Pope John Paul II rarely minces words. In both affluent America and impoverished Africa, he has made it clear there will be no Vatican compromise in the ban on artificial birth control. Last week, however, John Paul sat intently listening in the Vatican's starkly modern Synodal Hall as an equally forthright churchman declared that the present church policy simply is not working.

The remarkable speech came at the start of the sixth Synod of Bishops, before 216 delegates summoned from around the world to advise John Paul on family issues. The speaker: San Francisco's Archbishop John R. Quinn, 51, who has hardly been known for boldness during his term as president of the U.S. bishops' conference. Quinn loyally endorsed the papal teaching, of course. But then he reminded the bishops of what most of them might prefer to forget:

>The ban on all birth control except the natural rhythm method--as defined in Pope Paul's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae--is largely ignored by Roman Catholics. A 1975 study from Princeton University showed that most U.S. Catholic wives practiced birth control, and of these only 6% used rhythm.

> With such strong opposition, priests face "grave personal problems" over how to apply church teaching and discipline. The archbishop cited a 1971 survey commissioned by the U.S. bishops reporting that only 29% of U.S. priests believed that artificial contraception is always immoral. (Only 13% said they denied absolution in the confessional to couples who use forbidden methods.)

> This "impasse," not limited to the U.S., deeply undermines the authority of Catholicism on many other doctrines and hinders the church's entire mission.

Quinn also contended that the church cannot "credibly" treat contraception without "clear and honest recognition" of the huge problems of world poverty and population growth. The church, he said, must go beyond "a simple repetition of past formulations" and search for "nuances and clarifications, further considerations and greater pastoral insights" that will make the policy more palatable. He called upon John Paul's Vatican to undertake a "widespread and formal dialogue with Catholic theologians throughout the world." The talks would include some of the ranking theologians who have made repeated public attacks on the papal teaching.

According to Humanae Vitae, "Each and every marriage act must remain open to the transmission of life." The hierarchy pins its hope for limiting family size on further education in the rhythm method, especially in the Third World. It was heartened by a recent study by a U.S. Catholic professor of gynecology, who reported that the improved "ovulation method" for fixing the fertile days was as reliable as the Pill in actual use, without worrisome side effects.

Quinn's appeal was in stark contrast to the stand-pat paper the Vatican had sent out prior to the synod. Other synod speakers joined in lamenting the growing gap between Catholic teaching and observance, but the first week's deliberations were cautious. Some conservatives said the church should do more to enforce its policy and a powerful Vatican conservative, Pericle Cardinal Felici, told the bishops, "There is nothing to re-discuss. I consider the encyclical closed."

Even though the synod will also be busy mulling divorce, abortion, sexual morality and the decline of family life, the bishops will probably find much to discuss on birth control too. At the end of October they will offer final proposals to John Paul. Since papal policy at present seems to leave so little room for maneuvering, however, it could be that Quinn's speech has less to do with real hope of modifying the Vatican attitude than the U.S. bishops' need to retain the loyalty and sympathy of their parishioners. sb

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