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Philippines bishop urges government to teach natural family planning

In his homily during the mass marking the 40th anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) at the Manila Cathedral, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), urged the Philippine government to teach natural family planning methods in public hospitals and local health centers, reports Thaddeus M. Baklinski, LifeSiteNews.com.

"What does Humanae Vitae teach us? It doesn't prohibit family planning. But family planning should be done the right way, not the sinful way," Archbishop Lagdameo said.

"The use of artificial contraceptive methods like birth control pills and condoms lower moral standards and encourage infidelity," the archbishop added.

Humane Vitae, issued by Pope Paul VI on July 25, 1968, sought to give moral guidelines for the faithful on how to value human life from conception.

The encyclical, subtitled "On the Regulation of Birth," re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Roman Catholic Church regarding abortion, contraception and responsible parenthood.

Archbishop Lagdameo said marriage and human sexuality have been devalued, treated both "lightly and with disrespect" and that while population growth and responsible parenthood are linked with the regulation of birth, the church has a "moral objection" to artificial birth control.

"While we consider population growth as a valid concern, which should be addressed more directly with socio-economic methods, all men of goodwill are tasked to promote completely and clearly the teaching of the church concerning the sanctity of marriage and the regulation of birth," he said.

"Direct abortion must be rejected as a means of regulating birth or even for therapeutic reasons," he added.

The Archbishop said that attacks on large families stem from a lack of faith and are the product of a social atmosphere incapable of understanding generosity, and that is trying to conceal selfishness and unmentionable practices under apparently altruistic motives.

"Countries which impose birth control on the other countries, like the Philippines, are now themselves in need of growth in their population and are importing from Asian countries workers and caregivers for their senior citizens," he explained.

Instead of giving condoms and pills to parents, the government should make natural family planning "matters of instructions in hospitals and municipal health centers," the Archbishop concluded.

[07/12/2008]

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