On the Square Today

Russell E. Saltzman on bachelorettes and  Humanae Vitae :

I am rethinking  Humanae Vitae , Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical condemning artificial birth control. Well, actually not rethinking since I cannot remember ever thinking about it much at all, ever, except dismissively. So best to say, I am considering it seriously for the first time. I actually sat down to read it.

This, I admit, is a bit unusual for a Lutheran pastor, or for any Protestant, pastor or not. The subject of preventing unwanted pregnancy artificially or of being open to any pregnancy at any time cannot be located on any spiritual GPS we use. Among Roman Catholic teachings, I cannot think of one less appealing to Protestants and, so it must be said, to many Roman Catholics as well.