Humanae Vitae: 40 Years Later, February 1-2, 2008

The promulgation of the encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968 led to an outpouring of misunderstanding and confusion. Forty years later, the teaching of the encyclical has still not been fully appreciated by Catholics. By emphasizing the inseparability of the procreative and unitive dimensions of the marital act, Humanae Vitae did not affirm a mere rule, but instead urged Christians to reflect upon what it means to be body-soul creatures made in the image of God. In our bodily actions we are called to manifest the self-giving love that should characterize spiritually the actions of Christians. Far from being mere machines open to the soul’s manipulation, our bodies have an ordering toward self-giving that enables them to participate in our spiritual self-giving through love. As John Paul II’s Theology of the Body emphasized, Humanae Vitae witnesses to this body-soul unity in the Christian life. The goal of this conference is to reflect upon the encyclical both through the lenses of moral theology and philosophy, and through the connections that the encyclical has with other central elements of faith. In our understanding of almost every aspect of the Catholic faith, we depend upon a full acknowledgement of the body-soul unity of the human person. It is this fundamental truth that Humanae Vitae defends.

Eminent speakers include:

Janet E. Smith, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Keynote Speaker
Romanus Cessario, OP, Saint John’s Seminary
Michael Dauphinais, Ave Maria University
Paul Gondreau, Providence College
Mark Johnson, Marquette University
Joseph Koterski, SJ, Fordham University
Matthew Levering, Ave Maria University
Steven Long, Ave Maria University
Antonio Lopez, John Paul II Institute
Graham McAleer, Loyola College in Maryland
Kevin E. O’Reilly, Milltown Institute
David L. Schindler, John Paul II Institute
Michele Schumacher, University of Fribourg
Michael Sherwin, OP, University of Fribourg
Mary Shivanandan, John Paul II Institute
Michael Waldstein, International Theological Institute