July 30, 1968

The close of last week's Natural Family Planning Awareness Week (July 19 - 25) was marked by the 47th anniversary of Humanae Vitae.  Toward the close of that prophetic encyclical, Pope Paul VI spoke directly to priests:

"28. And now, beloved sons, you who are priests, you who in virtue of your sacred office act as counselors and spiritual leaders both of individual men and women and of families—We turn to you filled with great confidence. For it is your principal duty—We are speaking especially to you who teach moral theology—to spell out clearly and completely the Church's teaching on marriage. In the performance of your ministry you must be the first to give an example of that sincere obedience, inward as well as outward, which is due to the magisterium of the Church.... if men's peace of soul and the unity of the Christian people are to be preserved, then it is of the utmost importance that in moral as well as in dogmatic theology all should obey the magisterium of the Church and should speak as with one voice...."

Tomorrow will mark the 47th anniversary of the shameful Statement of Dissent to Humanae Vitae, orchestrated  by Father Charles Curran and about 600 co-signers.  In our time, how are we to interpret the widespread and deafening silence to NFP Awareness Week and the anniversary of  Humanae Vitae in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Trenton?