CSC in 1-2-3: Catholicism and Contraception

1) The Church teaching on contraceptives and the realistic application of that teaching are complex and nuanced.  To understand the relationship between Catholicism and Artificial Contraception a basic understanding of the Church's teachings on pro-life and marital love is necessary.  The Church's pro-life stance is an unfailing commitment to protect the dignity of life from conception to natural death.

2)  Often, the term pro-life is equated to anti-abortion, and while that is included in a Catholic understanding of pro-life it is only one piece.  Major pro-life issues of the Catholic Church include:  abortion, contraception, death penalty, embryo research, end of life issues, love and marriage, persons with disabilities, and reproductive technologies.  Modern technology has identified that human life begins at conception, the moment that the egg is fertilized.  In very basic terms; many common forms of artificial birth control cause abortions by not allowing a newly conceived human child to implant in the mother's womb.

3)  To fully appreciate the Catholic Church's pro-life stance, its important to consider that the conception of, birth and raising of a child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving.  With that in mind, the Church teaches that each and every marital act is unitiveand is open to the possibility of conceiving a child.  Artificial contraception is contrary to this teaching on marriage, as it separates conception from the sexual union.

Ready to delve deeper?  Join us for Foundations of Catholic Theology: Religious Freedom and Contraception on Tues., April 17 at 7pm in the CSC Social Hall.

Written by Cynthia Enghauser, Service & Social Justice Campus Minister

CSC in 1-2-3: Social Justice

1. Our Catholic faith tradition contains a long-standing commitment to social justice. Our Catholic understanding of Social Justice is rooted in our recognition of the dignity of each human being. Its relevance can be found in the Gospel narratives of Jesus, papal encyclicals on Catholic Social Teaching (CST), theology in the Catholic intellectual tradition, and a lived commitment in Catholic communities all over the world.

2. Social Justice is evident in the Church's social teaching on human dignity, human solidarity, and principles of justice and peace; the moral judgments about economic and social matters. The term "social justice" emerged in the Catholic faith tradition in the 1800s. The modern tradition of CST begins with Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Rerum Novarum in 1891, since that time there have been more than 10 papal encyclicals on CST, the latest being Caritas in Veritate by Pope Benedict.

3. Social Justice at the CSC includes local service opportunities, domestic and international service trips, as well as on-going dialogues on issues of injustice and marginalization. During Lent we will be participating in Operation Rice Bowl and WashU's PB and Joy program.

Written by Cynthia Enghauser, Service and Social Justice Campus Minister

Please contact Cynthia at enghauser@washucsc.org to get involved in these or other Service and Social Justice initiatives.