Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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HUMANAE VITAE

Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI, subtitled "The Right Order to Be Followed in the Propagation of Human Offspring." There are four parts to the encyclical: 1. new aspects of a perennial problem; 2. competence of the Church's magisterium to resolve the problem; 3. doctrinal principles to be maintained; and 4. pastoral directives. One of the major issues restated by Paul VI is the Church's right to pass final judgment in moral matters not only where these are formally revealed but also there they "pertain to the natural moral law" (July 25, 1968).