Pope Francis has taken a softer line than some of his predecessors on sexual and reproductive issues. He has said that the church should concentrate less on same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, and this month he announced that during the church’s coming Holy Year of Mercy, all priests would be able to grant absolution for abortion.
But the pope has not called for any actual changes to the church’s policy on birth control. The church prohibits contraception, though it does allow natural family planning, in which couples may avoid intercourse when a woman is most fertile. The pope reiterated his support for this prohibition in a speech in Manila earlier this year, arguing that “a lack of openness to life” threatens the family. Ordinary Catholics worldwide feel differently, and the pope should give them a forum to share their experiences.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/opinion/the-pope-and-the-birth-control-ban.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150921&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y
But the pope has not called for any actual changes to the church’s policy on birth control. The church prohibits contraception, though it does allow natural family planning, in which couples may avoid intercourse when a woman is most fertile. The pope reiterated his support for this prohibition in a speech in Manila earlier this year, arguing that “a lack of openness to life” threatens the family. Ordinary Catholics worldwide feel differently, and the pope should give them a forum to share their experiences.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/opinion/the-pope-and-the-birth-control-ban.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150921&nlid=63876270&tntemail0=y
