by I. Kennedy
Garret Fitzgerald attributed the erosion of church influence to "its overuse of authority rather than reason in promulgating its views on social morality." He suggested that after Humanae Vitae "many Irish Catholics began to do their own theology, so to speak, testing the Catholic Church's teaching against their own rational morality."
This issue raises important questions about the nature of authentic Christian teaching. Is a person obligated to obey the teachings of a papal encyclical? What is the place of individual conscience in such matters? Why pronounce on this when the bible does not directly address the issue?
The matter has led to silent revolution among many rank and file Catholics and many clergy have also expressed disquiet. Among the objectives of the Association of Catholic Priests is the recognition of the "primacy of conscience" and a "re-evaluation of Catholic sexual teaching and practice."
Click on the following for the entire story: Waterford Today - Reasons for Hope
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