Pope Paul VI (21 juin 1963 – 6 août 1978)

Description:

Humanae Vitae (Encyclical of Pope Paul VI, 1968). The conjugal act ought to be “completely human, totally and exclusively open to the new life.”

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the Decree on Ecumenism was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964. It stated in its introduction: “The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council.”

Significantly, Jesuit priest Walter M. Abbott wrote in The Documents of Vatican II: “The Decree on Ecumenism marks the full entry of the Roman Catholic Church into the ecumenical movement.” And in a similar vein, under the heading “Roman Catholicism following the second Vatican Council,” The New Encyclopædia Britannica said optimistically: “The Roman Catholic Church has officially abandoned its ‘one true church’ position.”

But has the Catholic Church really abandoned that position? On what conditions was unity to be brought about? After having defined the extent to which Catholics could engage in ecumenical activity, the Decree on Ecumenism stipulated: “This sacred Council urges the faithful to abstain from any frivolous or imprudent zeal. . . . Their ecumenical activity cannot be other than fully and sincerely Catholic, that is, loyal to the truth we have received from the Apostles and the Fathers, and in harmony with the faith which the Catholic Church has always professed.”

Obstacles to Unity

The fact is, the Roman Catholic Church did not abandon its position that it is the one true church.

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Significantly, this Dogmatic Constitution on the Church was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on the very day that he signed the Decree on Ecumenism. And on that same November 21, 1964, he made a statement proclaiming “Mary ‘Mother of the Church,’ that is, of all the faithful and all the pastors.” How can it be claimed that the Decree on Ecumenism ‘marked the full entry of the Roman Catholic Church into the ecumenical movement’ when the pope chose on the very day it was published to reaffirm dogmas that are totally unacceptable to the majority of the members of the WCC (World Council of Churches)?

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In modern times, severe criticism from within the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church “did not lead to a change of the system but only led to reforms of the practice.” In 1967 Pope Paul VI decided in favor of the old indulgence theory. For Catholics, the decisive question still is: Do I follow God’s Word, or do I believe doctrines of men?

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Commenting on this gathering, Pope Paul VI said: “How truly right and proper it is that a religious convocation for peace has been included among the ceremonies commemorative of the signing of the United Nations Charter twenty years ago.”

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In that same year, Pope Paul VI described the UN as “the last hope of concord and peace,” and later Pope John Paul II expressed his hope that “the United Nations will ever remain the supreme forum of peace and justice.”

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In August 1968 Pope Paul VI made a landmark visit to Colombia, the first papal visit ever to Latin America. Then followed the Second Latin-American Episcopal Conference in Medellín, Colombia, August/​September 1968. At the conference, Roman Catholic bishops of Latin America decried the poverty in which large groups of humanity in these countries live, thus giving a strong boost to the controversial liberation theology. After hearing this, more of the poor turned to violence as a means to grab for themselves a greater share of the national wealth.

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