…along with all the false teachers who make excuses for them. Use of contraception is an objective mortal sin; it is an intrinsically evil and gravely immoral act. The use of mere contraception is a lesser sin than the adultery committed by divorced and remarried Catholics. But the use of abortifacient contraception is a greater sin than adultery.

And yet, I have read many tracts online and sometimes in print by Catholics — priests, theologians, authors, and various commentators — tracts which propose to justify the use of abortifacient contraception, despite the anticipated deaths of innocent prenatals. All these Catholic “teachers” are guilty of the objective mortal sin of teaching heresy and the objective mortal sin of formal cooperation with abortifacient contraception, which is a type of murder. And yet, they receive Communion.

They cry out against Pope Francis, for permitting Communion to persons who have sinned LESS than they themselves have sinned. They demand that the divorced and remarried repent and confess before receiving Communion. And yet, they themselves refuse to repent from the sin of teaching heresy on contraception (and on other subjects) and from formal cooperation with abortifacient contraception. They are like the Pharisees, white-washed tombs. They are like the Pharisees, demanding that Jesus stone the woman caught in adultery, while refusing to repent from even greater sins themselves.

The magisterial teaching which condemns contraception, abortifacient contraception, and abortifacient contraception is infallible under the ordinary and universal Magisterium. Each of those three sins is intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral. And the teaching that every intrinsically evil act is immoral regardless of intention (or purpose) and circumstances is also infallible under the ordinary and universal Magisterium. Whosoever teaches the contrary is guilty of teaching heresy. And that is an objective mortal sin, which ought to prohibit any Catholic from reception of holy Communion — unless he or she repents and confesses first.

And yet teachers of heresy abound in the Church, have widespread approval from conservative Catholics, and no one calls for them to repent, to correct their teachings, and to refrain from Communion until they confess.

The Radical Reinterpretation of Humanae Vitae

It used to be the case, years ago, that conservative Catholics supported the magisterial teaching against contraception, and liberal Catholics offered various theological rationalizations to justify its use. Well, the liberals have not changed their position, but most conservative Catholic teachers now accept and promote a radical revision of Humanae Vitae.

They claim that Humanae Vitae contains a translation error. They claim that the Church has never condemned contraception outside of marriage, and that magisterial teaching against contraception is restricted to the marital act. They also claim that contraception, abortifacient contraception, and direct sterilization can be justified, based on intention or circumstances.

How is this set of grave errors different from the liberal position? These conservative teachers claim that their ideas are merely a correct understanding of magisterial teaching. They say that contraception is intrinsically evil and always gravely immoral. And then they use various clever theological rationalizations to justify its use. They claim that it really isn’t contraception or abortifacient contraception, even though sexual acts are deprived of their procreative finality and even though prenatals can be killed by the abortifacient. They openly discuss the deaths of the prenatals killed by the use of abortifacient contraception which they promote, without a trace of remorse for the deaths of those innocents. They are like the troops sent by Herod to kill the Holy Innocents. They think nothing of it; it seems to them to be just a part of their job.

They pretend to believe that intrinsically evil acts are always wrong. But then they justify any intrinsically evil act they wish were moral by claiming it has become no longer intrinsically evil and no longer the same type of act — based on intention or circumstances. And in this way, they propose to all the faithful a set of grave errors which radically disfigures the teaching of the Church on contraception, sterilization, abortifacient contraception, and abortion. Then they sin further by claiming that their heretical errors are the true and correct understanding of Church teaching.

This radical revision of Humanae Vitae has become accepted and taught by perhaps a majority of those Catholics who speak or write on the subject. It is heresy disguised as doctrine. At least the liberals who reject Humanae Vitae admit that they reject it; they admit they are rejecting Church teaching. It is a worse sin to say, publicly to very many Catholics, that an heretical idea is really just the proper understanding of the teaching of the Church.

These Mass-going Communion-receiving Catholics are teaching heresy, promoting the use of abortifacient contraception, and deceiving the faithful into thinking that these grave sins are approved by the Church. And yet they receive Communion and no one objects

The issue of Communion for the divorced and remarried will quickly give way to the issue of all persons who commit objective mortal sin and refuse to repent. And sooner or later, it is inevitable that the Church will decide that all such persons may not receive Communion. But which is worse? To commit one sin in your own life? or To influence thousands of souls to sin gravely, while claiming that these grave sins are beloved by Christ?

On judgment day, I’d rather be guilty and repentant from many objective mortal sins, than guilty and unrepentant from the sin of teaching heresy or the sin of encouraging schism.

[James 3]
{3:1} My brothers, not many of you should choose to become teachers, knowing that you shall receive a stricter judgment.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.

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