The Prophetic Character of Christian-Oriented Sexual Freedom in the Conjugal Relationship in the Thinking of Moral Theologians
A Brief Theological and Ethical Look Back at Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae of 1968
Inocent-Mária Vladimír Szaniszló
Papieski Uniwersytet Świętego Tomasza z Akwinu – Angelicum , Italyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6460-2930
Abstract
In 2023, people on the European continent find themselves recovering after several social upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as several military conflicts, especially the war in Ukraine. At the same time, however, there is a significant wave of migration to the so-called safe (socially secure) countries of Western Europe. Despite the significant problems that this migration causes for a politically polarized Europe, Western European, but also other countries are experiencing an astoundingly strong demand for labor (e.g. Germany openly talks about the economic need for up to 400,000 jobs per year). This year marks the 55th anniversary of the publication of the long-awaited encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, which rejected all methods of artificial contraception. In this contribution, the author attempts to look at the problems of the culture of life in European space through the lens of several ethical and philosophical thoughts. This contribution, therefore, seeks to reflect both upon the rejection of Humanae vitae by modern Western society, as well as consider the propositions of future steps that will help stabilize European society, including the concepts of economics, family, and values according to the said encyclical.
Keywords:
family policy of Europe, protection of marriage in the age of demographic crisis, the message of the encyclical Humanae Vitae for the modern society of the 21st century, Christian sexual ethics in the context of the culture of lifeReferences
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Papieski Uniwersytet Świętego Tomasza z Akwinu – Angelicum
Fr. Prof. Dr. Dipl.-Ing. Inocent-Mária Vladimir Szaniszló OP, PhD. (1962) is an inaugurated professor of Catholic theology in Slovakia and since October 2017 Senior Lecturer for Human Rights and Ethics at Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, Italy. He studied theology at the Faculty of Theology in Palacky University Olomouc and has Dissertation in moral philosophy Les réflexions théologiques sur les pensées d'Hannah Arendt. After studying at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland finally defended with Professor Eberhard Schockenhoff at the Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany. He started as assistant at Catholic University of Ružomberok, Faculty of Theology in Košice and founded Spesz´s institute of applied ethics. After this period he was a short time vice-rector for science and international relations at the University Danubius in Sládkovičovo, Slovakia. He is a member of the Dominican Order.
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