Encyclical Humanae vitae
Foundation: Paul VI.
sourceFoundation: Holy See.
language Official language: Latin.
Copyright the original Latin: No.
English translation: Holy See.
Copyright of the Spanish translation: No.
Publication: 25 July 1968.
Verified on 18 June 2002.
Encyclical Letter Humanae vitae on the transmission of human life
To the Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops and other local Ordinaries in peace and communion with the Apostolic See, to the Clergy and the faithful of the Catholic world and to all men of good will.
Venerable brethren and beloved children, health and apostolic blessing.
The transmission of life
1. The very serious duty of transmitting human life has always been for spouses, free and responsible collaborators of God the Creator, source of great joys, although sometimes accompanied by many difficulties and anguish.
The fulfilment of this duty has always posed serious problems for the conscience of the spouses, but with the current transformation of society, changes have taken place which have raised new questions which the Church could not ignore because it is a question of a subject closely related to the life and happiness of men.
I. New aspects of the problem and skill of the magisterium
New approach of the problem
2. The changes that have taken place are indeed remarkable and of various kinds. First and foremost, there is the rapid demographic development . Many fear that the world's population will increase faster than the reserves at its disposal, with increasing distress for so many families and peoples on the way to development, and the temptation for the authorities to oppose this danger with radical measures is great. In addition, the conditions of work and housing, and the many increasing demands in the economic field and in the field of Education, often make it difficult today to adequately support a issue large number of children.
We are also witnessing a change, both in the way in which the personality of women and their place in society are viewed, and in the value to be attributed to conjugal love within marriage and in the appreciation to be given to the significance of conjugal acts in relation to this love.
Finally, and above all, man has made stupendous progress in the mastery and rational organisation of the forces of nature, so that he tends to extend this mastery to his own overall being: to the body, to psychic life, to social life and even to the laws that regulate the transmission of life.
3. The new state of affairs raises new questions. Considering the conditions of life today, and given the significance of conjugal relations in terms of harmony between spouses and their mutual fidelity, would it not be appropriate to review the ethical rules hitherto in force, especially if we consider that they cannot be observed without sacrifices, sometimes heroic ones?
Moreover, extending the application of the so-called "principle of totality" to this field, would it not be possible to admit that the intention of a less exuberant but more rational fecundity would transform the materially sterilising intervention into a lawful and prudent control of births? In other words, would it not be possible to admit that the procreative purpose belongs to the conjugal life as a whole rather than to each individual act? He also wonders whether, given modern man's growing sense of responsibility, the time has not come to submit the task of regulating births to his reason and his will rather than to the biological rhythms of his organism.
skill of the Magisterio
4. These questions demanded from the Magisterium of the Church a new and profound reflection on the principles of the moral doctrine of marriage, a doctrine founded on the natural law, enlightened and enriched by divine Revelation.
No member of the faithful would wish to deny that it is for the Magisterium of the Church to interpret the natural moral law as well. It is indeed incontrovertible - as our predecessors have so often declared (1) - that Jesus Christ, by communicating to Peter and the Apostles his divine authority and by sending them to teach all nations his commandments (2), constituted them the custodians and authentic interpreters of every moral law, that is, not only of the evangelical law, but also of the natural law, the expression of the will of God, the faithful fulfilment of which is equally necessary for salvation (3).
In conformity with this its mission statement, the Church has always given, and more extensively in recent times, a coherent doctrine both on the nature of marriage and on the right use of conjugal rights and on the obligations of the spouses (4).
programs of study special
5. Awareness of this same mission statement led us to confirm and expand the Study Commission which our predecessor John XXIII, of the happy report, had set up in March 1963. This Commission, which included a number of scholars from the various disciplines related to subject and married couples, was intended to gather opinions on the new questions concerning married life, in particular the regulation of childbirth, and to provide timely information so that the Magisterium could give an adequate response to the expectations of the faithful and of public opinion throughout the world (5).
The work of these experts, as well as the successive opinions and the advice of good issue of our brothers in the Episcopate, who sent them spontaneously or in response to a specific request, have enabled us to better weigh up the various aspects of the complex argument. For this we express our heartfelt gratitude to all of them.
The Magisterium's response
6. We could not, however, consider the conclusions reached by the Commission as definitive, nor dispense ourselves from personally examining the grave question; among other reasons, because within the Commission there had not been a full agreement of judgements on the moral norms to be proposed and, above all, because certain criteria for solutions had emerged which were at variance with the moral doctrine on marriage proposal , which the Magisterium of the Church has consistently held firm. For this reason, having carefully examined the documentation presented to us and after mature reflection and assiduous prayer, we now wish, in virtue of the mandate entrusted to us by Christ, to give our response to these serious questions.
II. Doctrinal principles
A global vision of man
7. The problem of the birth rate, like any other problem concerning human life, must be considered, over and above partial perspectives of a biological or psychological, demographic or sociological order, in the light of an integral vision of man and his vocation, not only natural and earthly but also supernatural and eternal. And since, in an attempt to justify artificial methods of birth control, many have appealed to the demands of conjugal love and of "parenthood manager", it is necessary to clarify the true concept of these two great realities of married life, referring above all to what the Second Vatican Council has stated in this regard, in a highly authoritative way, in the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes.
Conjugal love
8. The true nature and nobility of conjugal love are revealed when it is considered in its supreme source , God, who is Love (6), "the Father from whom proceeds all fatherhood in heaven and on earth" (7).
Marriage is not, therefore, the effect of chance or the product of the evolution of unconscious natural forces; it is a wise institution of the Creator to realise in humanity his plan of love. The spouses, through their reciprocal self-giving staff, proper and exclusive to them, tend to the communion of their beings in order to a mutual perfection staff, to collaborate with God in the generation and in the Education of new lives.
In the baptised, marriage also has the dignity of a sacramental sign of grace, insofar as it represents the union of Christ and the Church.
Its characteristics
9. In this light the characteristic notes and demands of conjugal love appear clearly, and it is of the utmost importance to have an exact idea of them.
It is first and foremost a fully human love, that is to say, at the same time sensitive and spiritual. It is therefore not simply an outpouring of instinct and feeling, but is also and above all an act of the free will, destined to maintain and grow through the joys and sorrows of daily life, so that the spouses become one heart and one soul and together attain their human perfection.
It is a total love, that is, a unique form of friendship staff, in which the spouses generously share everything, without undue reservations or selfish calculations. The one who truly loves his or her partner does not love him or her only for what he or she receives from him or her, but for himself or herself, rejoicing to be able to enrich him or her with the gift of self.
It is a faithful and exclusive love until death. This is how the husband and wife conceive it on the day they freely and consciously assume the commitment of the marriage bond. Fidelity which can sometimes be difficult but which is always possible, noble and meritorious; no one can deny it.
The example of many spouses through the centuries shows that fidelity is not only connatural to marriage but also a source of deep and lasting happiness.
It is, finally, a fruitful love, which is not exhausted in the communion between the spouses but is destined to be prolonged by giving rise to new lives. "Marriage and conjugal love are ordered by their very nature to the procreation and Education of offspring. Children are undoubtedly the most excellent gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves" (8).
Parenthood manager
10. For this reason, conjugal love requires the spouses to be aware of their mission statement of "paternity manager", which is rightly insisted upon so much today and which must be accurately understood. It is necessary to consider it under various legitimate and interrelated aspects.
In relation to biological processes, paternity manager means knowledge and respect for their functions; intelligence discovers, in the power to give life, biological laws that are part of the human person (9).
In relation to the tendencies of instinct and the passions, paternity manager entails the necessary dominion that reason and will must exercise over them.
In relation to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, parenthood manager is put on internship either with the considered and generous deliberation to have a large family or with the decision, taken for serious reasons and in respect of the moral law, to avoid a new birth for some time or indefinitely.
Above all, parenthood manager entails a deeper connection with the moral order goal, established by God, whose faithful interpreter is the right conscience. The exercise of parenthood manager requires, therefore, that the spouses fully recognise their own duties towards God, towards themselves, towards the family and towards society, in a just hierarchy of values.
In the mission statement of transmitting life, the spouses are not, therefore, free to proceed arbitrarily, as if they could determine in a completely autonomous manner the licit paths to follow, but must conform their conduct to the creative intention of God, manifested in the very nature of marriage and its acts and constantly taught by the Church (10).
Respecting the nature and purpose of the marriage act
11. These acts, by which the spouses are united in chaste intimacy, and through which human life is transmitted, are, as the Council recalled, "honest and worthy" (11), and do not cease to be legitimate if, for reasons independent of the will of the spouses, they become infertile, because they continue to be ordered to express and consolidate their union. In fact, as experience testifies, a new life does not follow from each conjugal act. God has wisely ordained laws and natural rhythms of fertility which in themselves distance births. The Church, however, in requiring men to observe the norms of the natural law as interpreted by her constant doctrine, teaches that every act of marriage (quilibet matrimonii usus) must be open to the transmission of life (12).
The two aspects are inseparable: union and procreation.
12. This doctrine, often expounded by the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection which God has willed and which man cannot break on his own initiative, between the two meanings of the conjugal act: the unitive meaning and the procreative meaning.
Indeed, the conjugal act, by its intimate structure, while profoundly uniting the spouses, makes them fit for the generation of new lives, according to the laws inscribed in the very being of man and woman. By safeguarding both essential aspects, unitive and procreative, the conjugal act preserves intact the sense of true and mutual love and its ordination to the highest vocation of man to fatherhood. We believe that people, especially those of our time, are at Degree to understand the profoundly reasonable and human character of this fundamental principle.
Faithfulness to God's plan
13. It is rightly pointed out that a conjugal act imposed on a spouse without considering his or her present condition and legitimate desires is not a true act of love, and therefore disregards a requirement of the right moral order in the relations between spouses. Thus, those who reflect correctly must also recognise that an act of reciprocal love, which prejudices the availability to transmit the life that God the Creator, according to particular laws, has placed in it, is in contradiction with the constitutive design of marriage and with the will of the Author of life. To use this divine gift by destroying its meaning and purpose, even partially, is to contradict the nature of man and woman and their most intimate relations, and therefore also to contradict God's plan and His will. On the other hand, to enjoy the gift of conjugal love while respecting the laws of the generative process means to recognise ourselves not as arbiters of the sources of human life, but rather as stewards of the plan established by the Creator.
Indeed, just as man does not have unlimited control over his body in general, so neither does he have unlimited control, a fortiori, over the generative Schools as such, by virtue of their intrinsic ordering to give rise to life, of which God is the principle. Human life is sacred", John XXIII recalled, "from its very beginning, it is directly involved in the creative action of God" (13).
Illegal means of birth regulation
14. In conformity with these fundamental principles of the human and Christian vision of marriage, we must once again declare that we must absolutely exclude, as a licit way of regulating births, the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and above all abortion directly desired and procured, even for therapeutic reasons (14).
It is also necessary to exclude, as the Magisterium of the Church has often stated, the direct, perpetual or temporary sterilisation of both men and women (15); any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its realisation, or in the development of its natural consequences, is intended, as an end or as a means, to make procreation impossible, is also excluded (16).
Nor can the lesser evil or the fact that such acts would constitute a whole with the fruitful acts that preceded or would follow, and would therefore share the one and the same moral goodness, be invoked as valid reasons to justify intentionally unfruitful conjugal acts. Indeed, if it is ever licit to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or to promote a greater good (17), it is not licit, even for very serious reasons, to do evil in order to achieve good (18), that is, to make the object of a positive act of will what is intrinsically disordered and therefore unworthy of the human person, even if by doing so one wishes to safeguard or promote the individual, family or social good.
It is therefore a mistake to think that a conjugal act, which is voluntarily unfruitful and therefore intrinsically dishonest, can be co-honoured by the whole of a fruitful conjugal life.
Lawfulness of therapeutic means
15. The Church, on the other hand, in no way retains as illicit the use of therapeutic means truly necessary to cure illnesses of the organism, even if there is an impediment, even if foreseen, to procreation, as long as this impediment is not, for whatever reason, directly willed (19).
Licitness of resource to infertile periods
16. To these teachings of the Church on conjugal morality it is objected today, as we observed above (n. 3), that it is the prerogative of human intelligence to dominate the energies of irrational nature and to direct them towards an end in conformity with the good of man. Some ask: is it not perhaps rational to have recourse in many circumstances to artificial birth control, if by so doing one obtains harmony and tranquillity in the family and better conditions for the Education of children already born? This question must be answered clearly: the Church is the first to praise and recommend the intervention of intelligence in a work which so closely associates the rational creature with its Creator, but she affirms that this must be done with respect for the order established by God.
Consequently, if there are serious reasons for spacing births, deriving from the physical or psychological conditions of the spouses, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that it is then licit to take into account the natural rhythms immanent to the generative functions in order to use marriage only in infertile periods and thus regulate the birth rate without offending the moral principles we have just recalled (20).
The Church is coherent with itself when it judges licit the resource to the infertile periods, while it always condemns as illicit the use of means directly contrary to fertilisation, even if it is done for apparently honest and serious reasons. In reality, there is an essential difference between the two cases: in the first, the spouses make legitimate use of a natural disposition; in the second, they prevent the development of natural processes. It is true that in both cases the spouses are of agreement the positive will to avoid procreation for plausible reasons, seeking the certainty that it will not follow; but it is equally true that only in the first case they consciously renounce the use of marriage in the fertile periods when for just reasons procreation is not desirable, and make use of it afterwards in the agenesic periods to manifest their affection and to safeguard their mutual fidelity. In doing so they give test of true and integrally honest love.
Serious consequences of artificial birth control methods
17. The upright may yet be convinced of the consistency of the Church's doctrine in this field if they reflect on the consequences of the methods of artificial birth control. Consider, first of all, the easy and wide path that would be open to marital infidelity and to the general degradation of morality. It does not take much experience to know human weakness and to understand that men, especially the young, so vulnerable at this point, need encouragement to be faithful to the moral law and should not be offered any easy means of circumventing its observance.
It could also be feared that men, becoming accustomed to the use of contraceptive practices, could end up losing respect for women and, no longer concerned with their physical and psychological balance, could come to regard them as mere instruments of selfish enjoyment and not as partners, respected and loved.
Who could reproach a government for applying to the solution of the problems of the community what would have been recognised as lawful for spouses in the solution of a family problem? Who would prevent rulers from favouring and even imposing on their people, if they consider it necessary, the method of contraception which they deem most effective? In such a way, men, wishing to avoid the individual, family or social difficulties encountered in the fulfilment of the divine law, would go so far as to leave to the mercy of the intervention of the public authorities the most staff and most reserved sector of conjugal intimacy.
Therefore, if we do not wish to expose the mission statement of engendering life to man's will, we must necessarily recognise certain insurmountable limits to the possibility of man's dominion over his own body and its functions; limits which no man, whether in private or in authority, is permitted to break. And these limits can only be determined by the respect due to the integrity of the human organism and its functions, according to the principles mentioned above and according to the correct understanding of the "principle of totality" illustrated by our predecessor Pius XII (21).
The Church, a guarantee of authentic human values
18. It can be foreseen that these teachings may not be easily accepted by all: there are too many voices - amplified by the modern means of propaganda - which are in contrast with the Church. To tell the truth, the Church does not marvel at being, like her divine Founder, "a sign of contradiction" (22), but she does not cease for this reason to proclaim with humble firmness the whole of the moral, natural and evangelical law. The Church was not the author of these, nor can she therefore be their arbiter, but only their depositary and interpreter, without ever being able to declare licit what is not licit because of her intimate and immutable civil service examination to the true good of man.
In defending conjugal morality in its integrity, the Church knows that she is contributing to the establishment of a truly human civilisation; she commits man not to abdicate his own responsibility in order to submit to technical means; she defends the dignity of the spouses. Faithful to the teachings and example of the Saviour, it shows itself to be a sincere and disinterested friend of men whom it wishes to help, already on their earthly journey, "to participate as children in the life of the living God, the Father of all men" (23).
III. Pastoral directives
The Church, Mother and Teacher
19. Our word would not be an adequate expression of the thought and solicitude of the Church, the Mother and Teacher of all peoples, if, after inviting men to observe and respect the divine law concerning marriage, it did not encourage them in the way of an honest regulation of birth-rate, even in the midst of the difficult conditions which today afflict families and peoples. The Church, indeed, can have no other attitude towards men than that of the Redeemer: she knows their weakness, she has compassion for the multitudes, she welcomes sinners, but she cannot renounce teaching the law which in reality is proper to a human life brought to its original truth and led by the Spirit of God (24).
Possibility of observing divine law
The doctrine of the Church on subject of birth control, promulgator of divine law, will easily appear difficult and even impossible in the eyes of many on internship. And it is true that, like all great and beneficial realities, it demands a serious commitment and many efforts in the family, individual and social order. Moreover, it would not be possible without the financial aid of God, who sustains and strengthens the good will of men. But to anyone who reflects seriously, it cannot but appear that such efforts ennoble man and benefit the human community.
Self-control
21. An honest internship of birth control requires above all that spouses acquire and possess solid convictions about the true values of life and of the family, as well as a tendency to achieve perfect self-control. The control of instinct, by means of reason and free will, imposes without any doubt an asceticism, so that the affective manifestations of conjugal life may be in conformity with the right order, and particularly to observe periodic continence. This discipline, proper to the purity of the spouses, far from harming conjugal love, confers on it a more sublime human value.
It requires a continuous effort, but, by virtue of its beneficial influence, the spouses develop their personalities to the full, enriching them with spiritual values: bringing to family life fruits of serenity and peace and facilitating the solution of other problems; favouring care for the other spouse; helping to overcome selfishness, the enemy of true love, and further rooting their sense of responsibility. Parents thus acquire the capacity for a deeper and more effective influence in educating their children; children and young people grow in the right esteem of human values and in the serene and harmonious development of their spiritual and sensitive Schools .
Creating an environment conducive to chastity
22. We wish on this occasion to draw the attention of educators and all those who have responsibility for the common good of human coexistence to the need to create a climate favourable to the Education of chastity, that is to say, to the triumph of freedom over licentiousness, through respect for the moral order.
Everything in the modern means of social communication which leads to the excitement of the senses and to the debauchery of morality, such as all forms of pornography and licentious entertainment, must arouse the frank and unanimous reaction of all people who are concerned for the progress of civilisation and for the defence of the supreme good of the human spirit. It would be in vain to seek justification for these depravities under the pretext of artistic or scientific requirements (25), or on the grounds of the freedom granted in this field by the public authorities.
Appeal to public authorities
23. We say to those who govern, who are primarily responsible for the common good and who can do so much to safeguard moral morals: do not allow the morality of your peoples to deteriorate; do not allow practices contrary to natural and divine law to be legally introduced into the fundamental cell, which is the family. There is another way by which the public authorities can and must contribute to the solution of the demographic problem: that of a careful family policy and of a wise Education of the peoples, which respects the moral law and the freedom of the citizens.
We are aware of the serious difficulties encountered by public authorities in this regard, especially in developing countries development. We dedicated our encyclical Populorum Progressio to their legitimate concerns. resource And with our predecessor, John XXIII, we went on to say: "These difficulties cannot be overcome by resorting to methods and means which are unworthy of man and which can be explained only by a narrowly materialistic conception of man himself and of his life. The true solution can only be found in economic development and social progress which respects and promotes true human, individual and social values" (26). Nor could manager, without grave injustice, be blamed on Divine Providence for what on the contrary would depend on a lesser sagacity of government, on a poor sense of social justice, on a selfish monopoly or even on a reprehensible indolence in facing the efforts and sacrifices necessary to ensure the raising of the standard of living of a people and of all its children (27). Let all responsible Powers - as some are already doing praiseworthily - generously revive their own efforts, and let mutual support among all the members of the human family never cease to spread: an immense field is thus opened up for the activity of the great international organisations.
To men of science
24. We now wish to encourage men of science, who "can make a notable contribution to the good of marriage and the family and to the peace of consciences if, by uniting their efforts programs of study, they endeavour to clarify in greater depth the various conditions favourable to an honest regulation of human procreation" (28). It is to be hoped in particular that, according to the wish already expressed by Pius XII, medical science will succeed in providing a sufficiently secure basis for a regulation of births based on the observance of natural rhythms (29). In this way scientists, and especially Catholics, will contribute to demonstrate with facts that, as the Church teaches, "there can be no real contradiction between the divine laws which regulate the transmission of life and those which favour authentic conjugal love" (30).
To Christian spouses
25. Our word is now addressed more directly to our children, especially to those called by God to serve him in marriage. The Church, while teaching the imprescriptible demands of the divine law, proclaims salvation and opens with the sacraments the ways of grace, which makes man a new creature, able to correspond in love and true freedom to the plan of his Creator and Saviour, and to find the yoke of Christ gentle (31).
Christian spouses, therefore, docile to his voice, should remember that their Christian vocation, begun in baptism, has been further specified and strengthened by the sacrament of marriage. For this reason the spouses are confirmed and consecrated to fulfil their duties faithfully, to carry out their vocation to perfection and to bear witness to it before the world (32). To them the Lord has entrusted the mission statement of making visible before men and women the holiness and gentleness of the law which unites the mutual love of the spouses with their cooperation in the love of God, the author of human life.
It is not our intention to conceal the difficulties, sometimes serious, inherent in the life of Christian spouses; for them as for everyone else "the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life" (33). The hope of this life must illuminate their path, as they strive courageously to live with prudence, justice and piety in time (34), aware that the form of this world is fleeting (35).
Let the spouses, therefore, make the necessary efforts, supported by faith and by the hope which "does not deceive because the love of God has been spread in our hearts together with the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (36); let them invoke with persevering prayer the divine financial aid ; let them have recourse above all to the source of grace and of charity in the Eucharist. And if sin should still catch them by surprise, they should not be discouraged, but have recourse with humble perseverance to the mercy of God, which is granted in the sacrament of penance. In this way they will be able to realise the fullness of married life described by the Apostle: "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved his Church (...). Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. Is not loving one's wife to love oneself? No one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cares for it, as Christ did for his Church (...). This mystery is great, but understood of Christ and the Church. As for you, let each one in particular love his wife as himself, and let the wife respect her own husband" (37).
Apostolate among households
26. Among the fruits of a generous effort of fidelity to the divine law, one of the most precious is that spouses not infrequently feel the desire to communicate their experience to others. A new and very important form of apostolate among peers is thus inserted into the broad picture of the vocation of the laity: the spouses themselves become guide for other spouses. Among the many forms of apostolate, this is undoubtedly one of the most opportune today (38).
To doctors and staff
27. We esteem highly those doctors and members of the health care staff who, in the exercise of their profession, have a deep feeling for the higher demands of their Christian vocation, above all human interests. Let them therefore persevere constantly in promote solutions inspired by faith and right reason, and let them strive to foster conviction and respect for them in their environment. Let them also consider it their professional duty to acquire all the necessary knowledge in this delicate area, in order to be able to give to the spouses who consult them the wise advice and sound directives which they rightly expect from them.
To the priests
28. Beloved priestly sons, you who are by vocation the counsellors and spiritual directors of individuals and families, it is to you that we now confidently address ourselves. Your first duty - especially that of those who teach moral theology - is to expound unambiguously the Church's teaching on marriage. Be the first to give an example of loyal obeisance, internally and externally, to the Magisterium of the Church in the exercise of your ministry. Such obsequiousness, as you well know, is obligatory, not only for the reasons given, but above all because of the light of the Holy Spirit, with which the pastors of the Church are particularly assisted in illustrating the truth (39). You also know how important it is for the peace of consciences and for the unity of the Christian people that in the field of morals and dogma all should adhere to the Magisterium of the Church and speak in the same way. For this reason we renew with all our heart the Apostle Paul's anguished appeal: "I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak alike, and that there be no schisms among you, but that ye be agreed in the same mind and in the same judgment" (40).
29. To undermine in nothing the salutary doctrine of Christ is a form of eminent charity towards souls. But this must always be accompanied by the patience and goodness of which the Lord Himself gave an example in His attention with men. Coming not to judge but to save (41), He was certainly uncompromising towards evil, but merciful towards people.
In the midst of their difficulties, may the spouses always find in the words and heart of the priest the echo of the voice and love of the Redeemer.
Speak, moreover, with confidence, beloved children, certain that the Spirit of God, who assists the Magisterium in propounding doctrine, enlightens the hearts of the faithful from within, inviting them to give their assent. Teach the spouses the necessary path of prayer, prepare them to go frequently and with faith to the sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance, without ever allowing themselves to be discouraged by their weakness.
To the Bishops
30. Dear and venerable brothers in the episcopate, with whom we share most closely the application of the spiritual good of the People of God, to you goes our reverent and affectionate thought at the end of this encyclical. To all of you we address a pressing invitation.
Work at the head of your priests, your co-workers, and your faithful with ardour and without rest for the safeguarding and sanctity of marriage so that it may be lived in all its human and Christian fullness. Consider this mission statement as one of your most urgent responsibilities at the present time. This presupposes, as you know, pastoral action, coordinated in all fields of human activity, economic, cultural and social; indeed, only by improving all these sectors simultaneously can the life of parents and children within the family be made not only tolerable but also easier and happier, and the coexistence in human society more fraternal and peaceful, while faithfully respecting God's plan for the world.
Final call
31. Venerable brethren, most beloved children, and all you men of good will, great is the work of Education, of progress and of love to which we call you, based on the doctrine of the Church, of which the Successor of Peter is, with his brethren in the episcopate, the depositary and interpreter. A great work indeed, we are convinced, both for the world and for the Church, since man cannot find true happiness, to which he aspires with all his being, except in respect for the laws engraved by God on his nature and which he must observe with intelligence and love. We invoke upon this task, as upon all of you and in particular upon spouses, the abundance of the graces of the God of holiness and mercy, in pledge of which We bestow upon you Our Apostolic Blessing.
Given in Rome, at St. Peter's, on the feast of St. James the Apostle, 25 July 1968, the sixth of our pontificate.
Notes
1. Cf. Pius XI, Enc. Qui pluribus, 9 November 1946, Pii IX P. M., vol. 1, pp. 9-10; St. Pius X, Enc. certificate vol. 1, pp. 9-10; St. Pius X, Enc. Singulari quadam, 24 September 1912, AAS 4 (1912), p. 658; Pius XI, cf. Casti connubii, 31 December 1930, AAS 22 (1930), pp. 579-581; Pius XII, Aloc. Magnificate Dominum to the Episcopate of the Catholic World, 2 November 1954, AAS 46 (1954), pp. 671-672; John XXIII, Enc. Mater et Magistra, 15 May 1961, AAS 53 (1961), p. 457.
2. Cf. Math., 28, 18-19.
3. Cf. Math., 7, 21.
4. Cf. Catechismus Romanus Concilii Tridentini, pars II, c. VIII; Leo XIII, Enc. Arcanum, 10 February 1880; certificate L. XIII, 2 (1881), pp. 26-29; Pius XI, Enc. Divini illius Magistri, 31 December 1929, AAS 22 (1930), pp. 58-61; Enc. 58-61; Enc. Casti connubii, 31 December 1930, AAS 22 (1930), pp. 545-546; Pius XII, Allocution to the Italian Medico-biological Union of St. Luke, 12 November 1944, Discorsi e Radiomessaggi, VI, pp. 191-192; to the agreement of the Italian Catholic Union of Midwives, 29 October 1951, AAS 43 (1951), pp. 853-854; to the congress of the "Fronte della Famiglia" and of the association of Large Families, 28 November 1951, AAS 43 (1951), pp. 857-859; to the VII congress of the International Society of Haematology, 12 September 1958, AAS 50 (1958), pp. 734-735; John XXIII, Enc. Mater et Magistra, AAS 53 (1961), pp. 446-447; Codex Iuris Canonici, canons 1067; 1068, para.11076, paras. 1-2; Second Vatican Council, Past Const. Gaudium et Spes, nn. 47-52.
5. Cf. Allocution of Paul VI to the Sacro high school, 23 June 1964, AAS 56 (1964), p. 588; to the Commission for the study of the problems of population, the family and the birth rate, 27 March 1965, AAS (1965), p. 388; to the National congress of the Italian Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 29 October 1966, AAS 58 (1966), p. 1168.
6. Cf. I Jn. 4, 8.
7. Eph., 3, 15.
8. Conc. Vat. II, Past. Gaudium et spes, n. 50.
9. Cf. St. Thomas, Sum. Theol., I-II, q. 94, a. 2.
10. Cf. Gaudium et Spes, nn. 50 and 51.
11. Ibid., n. 49, 2o.
12. Cf. Pius XI, Enc. Casti connubii, AAS 22 (1930), p. 560; Pius XII, AAS 43 (1951), p. 843.
13. John XXIII, Encyclical Mater et Magistra, AAS 53 (1961), p. 447.
14. Cf. Catechismus Romanus Concilii Tridentini, pars. II, c. VIII; Pius XI, Enc. Casti Connubii, AAS 22 (1930), pp. 562-564; Pius XII, Discorsi e Radiomessaggi, VI, pp. 191-192, AAS 43 (1951), pp. 842-843, pp. 857-859; John XXIII, Enc. Pacem in terris, 11 April 1963, AAS 55 (1963), pp. 259-260; Gaudium et Spes, n. 51.
15. Cf. Pius XI, Enc. Casti connubii, AAS 22 (1930), n. 565; Decree of the Holy Father, 22 February 1940, AAS 32 (1940), p. 73. official document Decree, 22 February 1940, AAS 32 (1940), p. 73; Pius XII, AAS 43 (1951), pp. 843-844; AAS 50 (1958), pp. 734-735.
16. Cf. Catechismus Romanus Concilii Tridentini, pars II, c. VIII; Pius XI, Enc. Casti connubii, AAS 22 (1930), pp. 559-561; Pius XII, AAS 43 (1951), p. 843; AAS 50 (1958), pp. 734-735; John XXIII, Enc. Mater et Magistra, AAS 53 (1961), n. 447.
17. Cf. Pius XII, Address to the National congress of the Union of Italian Catholic Jurists, 6 December 1953, AAS 45 (1953), pp. 798-799.
18. Cf. Rom. 3, 8.
19. Cf. Pius XII, Alloc. to the Participants in the congress of the association Italian Urology, 8 October 1953, AAS 45 (1953), pp. 674-675; AAS 50 (1958), pp. 734-735.
20. Cf. Pius XII, AAS 43 (1951), p. 846.
21. AAS 45 (1953), pp. 674-675; Address to the Officers and Members of the Italian Cornea Donors' Association association , AAS 48 (1956), pp. 461-462.
22. Luke, 2, 34.
Paul VI, Encyclical Populorum Progressio, 26 March 1967, n. 21.
Cf. Rom. ch. 8.
25. Cf. Vat. II, Decree Inter Mirifica on the means of social communication, nn. 6-7.
Cf. Enc. Mater et Magistra, AAS 53 (1961), p. 447.
27. Cf. Enc. Populorum Progressio, nn. 48-55.
28. Gaudium et Spes, n. 52.
29. Cf. AAS 43 (1951), p. 859.
Gaudium et Spes, n. 51.
31. Cf. Matt. 11:30.
32. Cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 48; Conc. Vat. II, Dogmatic Const. Lumen Gentium, n. 35.
33. Matt. 7:14; cf. Hebr. 12-11.
34. Cf. Tit. 2, 12.
35. Cf. I Cor. 7, 31.
36. Rom., 5, 5.
37. Eph. 5, 25, 28-29, 32-33.
38. Cf. Lumen Gentium, nn. 35 and 41; Gaudium et Spes, nn. 48 and 49; Conc. II, Decret. Apostolicam Actuositatem, n. 11.
39. Cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 25.
40. I Cor. 1, 10.
41. Cf. Jn. 3, 17.