Newspaper Page Text
' ^Me Georgia buLleVin, Thursday, December 12,1968 9
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Misinterpretation
Cardinal Issues Extracts. From
Interview On Birth Control
LONDON-Expressing concern over the apparently widespread
misinterpretation of statements he made in a television, interview
(Dec. 6) on conscience and the use of contraceptives, John Cardinal
Heenan of Westminister has issued (Dec. 8) extracts from the
recording of the interview.
In issuing the extracts
Cardinal Heenan said he
recognizes that the press was able
to report only a small part of the
interview, but added that some
“isolated” quotations have led
some who did not see the
program to think that he had told
Catholics to ignore the encyclical
and follow their consciences.
Asked by television
interviewer David Frost if the
Church would not interfere if a
couple decides on serious ground
of conscience to use
contraceptives, Cardinal Heenan
replied:
“The teaching of the Church
is very clear. Every man is bound
to follow his conscience. This is
true even if his conscience is in
error. This is a basic teaching of
the Church, that every man-the
Pope, you and I-every one, must
follow his conscience. Now it is
the duty of a Catholic to inform
his conscience, but it could easily
happen, particularly after this
long period of dispute and doubt,
that a couple might say
conscientiously, ‘I am quite sure
that this is the right thing for me
to do.’ If it can be said
conscientiously, ‘This is what I
must do,’ then, of course, they
must follow their conscience.
There is not a dispute about
this.”
Frost then asked: “And if
they go to their priest and say
that they are doing precisely that
what should the priest say in
reply?”
Cardinal Heenan replied” ‘God
bless you.’ If they are really
following their conscience then in
the sight of God that is all that
matters. The bishops, the priests,
the Pope do not matter compared
with God. Every person is really
dealing with Almighty God.”
Asked if in such a case the
priest should not refuse the
sacraments, the cardinal said: “Of
course not. In the pastoral letter I
wrote immediately after the
encyclical was published I
insisted on this. I wrote: ‘Do not
let this prevent you from
receiving the sacraments.’ ”
Asked by Frost if in
conscience he would have
accepted any decision by the
Pope allowing the pill or other
methods of birth control,
Cardinal Heenan answered: “Of
course, my conscience would
have been able to accept
whatever the Pope, after all that
consideration, all that study and
consultation, had decided was
right. It would not have been a
complete reversal-that would
have been impossible-you cannot
reverse the moral law. But if
there had been some
development of it-since you are
talking about the pill, it is not
altogether clear-and this is not a
theological question-that the pill
is strictly a contraceptive. This is
for chemists, for doctors, to
decide. It would therefore have
been quite possible with some
kind of pill for a development
according to the natural law. It
might not necessarily have been
like the present pills, which are in
the main contraceptive.”
Frost then asked Cardinal
Heenan if he would have been
able to accept the Pope’s coming
out for the pills now existing.
The cardinal answered:
“I would have been very
surprised if the Pope could have
decided that artificial
contraception is right. I would
have been very surprised indeed.”'
Asked if he thought a pope
would ever accept some means of
artificial contraception, Cardinal
Heenan said: “I believe that in a
measurable time-five or 10
years-everybody will accept what
the Pope has said.
“I will explain exactly what 1
mean. The whole scientific trend
is towards the use of natural
rhythms for birth control, for
family planning. When you
consider what has happened-this
is not a new problem as you
know, the problem is older than
Christianity. They have used
throughout Jiistory various
methods of contraception.
Taking them in order, the order
which is least desirable and more
remote from nature infanticide
was the first...Infanticide is not
acceptable in the West nor will it
ever be. Next abortions-
incidentally, where contraception
is the highest, abortion is the
highest, too, even in our own
time. Then sterilization,
intrauterine devices, condoms,
caps, sheaths, jellies—all the rest
come next. Then the pill.
“Now I believe the reason
why people took to the pill is
that it is the most natural thing.
It does not seem to interfere with
the natural way of intercourse. “I
am quite sure that is the reason
why the pill has become so
popular.
“I believe that in days when
we can transplant hearts and fly
to the moon it should be possible
for the doctors and scientists to
discover a very easy way of
knowing precisely what is the
safe period. I would guess-it is
only a guess-that within a
measurable time they will
discover a simple way of deciding
whether there is any danger of
pregnancy, so that a woman will
know for certain that, apart from
the five days when abstinence
will be called for, intercourse can
take place without the likelihood
of conception taking place. There
is a great deal of research going
on...
“I agree it would be dishonest
and indeed impertinent for
someone not personally
concerned-who is not the father
nor mother of a family-to say,
‘use the safe period; it may not
work, but use it anyway.’ As you
say, a pregnancy might occur; the
mother might die. Then the
husband could turn to the priest
and say, ‘You told us to do this.’
Be quite clear; it is not for the
priest to tell people whether or
not to use the safe period.
“When the encyclical was
p u 1^1 ished there was
understandably tremendous
distress among many people. The
Pope himself said he well
understood what disappointment
this would be to many couples.
“Now what has not been
sufficiently realized is this. The
encyclical deals with the
principles of morality in
marriage. The Pope does not at
any point say this or that is
wrong in an individual case. The
pastoral care of the people, in
other words, is left to their
spiritual advisers, their - bishops
and priests. Every conference of
bishops in the world, following
the encyclical, has given a
pastoral explanation of it. They,
have all, with different emphasis,
said the same. Every hierarchy
has said that nothing in the
encyclical is intended to interfere
with the primacy of conscience.
A person’s conscience and
ultimate decision depends upon
himself.”
Requiem For
Oldest Franciscan
BULTER, N.J. (NC)-Requiem
Mass for Father James Keenan,
O.F.M., 90, described as the
oldest active Franciscan priest in
the country, was offered (Dec. 5)
in St. Anthony’s church here. He
died (Dec. 2) at St. Anthony’s
monastery. A native of New York
City, he joined the Franciscans in
1897 and was ordained to the
priesthood in 1903. For more
than half-century he taught
mathematics at St. Bonaventure
(N.Y.) University, where he was a
sports enthusiast and served as
manager of the college football
team.
JP
liiijjP'i
NATIVE RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS on Bougainville in the South
Pacific coexist with Christian faith among the inhabitants.
Here, Father William Mentzer, S.M., a Philadelphia-born
missionary, is seen with members of the Upe cult who per
mit their hair to grow under their special hats as a sign of
initiation into manhood. Old superstitions are dying as de
velopment programs bring the natives into the 20th century.
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