{"id":52146,"date":"2024-11-13T15:39:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T15:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5.capp-usa.org\/?p=52146"},"modified":"2026-07-28T16:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T16:54:15","slug":"the-sexual-revolution-and-catholic-social-teaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/5.capp-usa.org\/es\/2024\/11\/the-sexual-revolution-and-catholic-social-teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sexual Revolution and Catholic Social Teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Sexual Revolution and Catholic Social Teaching<\/span><\/h1>\n

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by CAPP-USA<\/span><\/h5>\n

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\"The<\/p>\n

Women's liberation march from Farragut Square to Lafayette Park in 1970.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What is the Sexual Revolution?<\/span><\/h2>\n


The sexual revolution began in the 1960\u2019s as part of a feminist movement to liberate women from traditional domestic and clerical roles and advance their positions of power in business and politics.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It sought to \u201cempower\u201d women by separating sex from pro-creation and marriage. This was made possible by the advent of the birth control pill. The Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive in 1960. Within 2 years 1.2 million American women were \"on the pill\".<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Feminists claimed the sexual revolution would bring women out of the shadows of men\u2019s status, desires and abuses, and make society freer overall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The actual result was very different as the sexual revolution proved an, \"egregious event...on a scale unprecedented in history.\" (Pope Benedict XVI)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Why? As Pope St. Paul VI warned, \u201cThe most extraordinary scientific progress, the most astounding technical feats\u2026unless accompanied by authentic moral and social progress, will in the long run go against man.\u201d (Visit to FAO, 4)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Consequences of the Sexual Revolution<\/span><\/h2>\n


In amazing foresight Pope St. Paul VI anticipated (Humanae Vitae)<\/a>\u00a0the pathologies that would emerge from contraception and the sexual revolution, predicting it would not only impact individual morality but would also negatively reshape societal values and relationships.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He predicted:<\/span><\/p>\n

Increased Marital Infidelity and Moral Decline<\/strong>: Pope St. Paul VI warned that widespread use of contraception could weaken the moral fabric of society, particularly around marriage by making it easier for people to justify extramarital affairs and other behaviors that undermine marital commitment and fidelity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Loss of Respect for Women<\/strong>: He feared that, if sex could be separated from procreation, there was a risk that women would be objectified, reduced to mere instruments for sexual satisfaction, rather than being valued as equal partners in marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Abuse of Power by Public Authorities<\/strong>: He expressed concerns about the potential for governments and authorities to misuse contraceptive methods to control populations. He foresaw the risk of governments enforcing family planning policies that might infringe upon personal freedoms and ethical principles, especially in vulnerable communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moral Relativism and Loss of Self-Control<\/strong>: The pope also predicted that, if artificial contraception became the norm, it might erode people's sense of moral absolutes, leading to a more relativistic approach to ethics and a decline in self-discipline. He argued that such a shift could weaken people\u2019s ability to make sacrifices for the common good and undermine society\u2019s commitment to enduring moral principles.<\/span><\/p>\n

And what was revolutionary in the 1960s is ubiquitous today. The damage caused by \u201call-out sexual freedom<\/strong>\u201d has been immense, even engendering \u201ca propensity for violence\u201d with pedophilia being \"diagnosed as allowed and appropriate.\"<\/span>\u00a0(Pope Benedict XVI)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Promiscuity skyrocketed, divorce was sanctioned, marriage rates fell, abortion laws were repealed, and homosexuality became mainstream, the family went into crisis.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The hookup culture of today, marked by casual sex, infidelity, and a vehement defense of the so-called \u2018right\u2019 to terminate pregnancies, stem from the sexual revolution\u2019s rejection of natural law, the family and marriage, and ultimately, God Himself.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[D]oubt or error in the field of marriage or the family involves\u00a0obscuring\u00a0to a serious extent\u00a0the\u00a0integral truth\u00a0about the\u00a0human person\u201d.\u00a0(Pope St. John Paul II, 31)<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"[T]he family is placed at the center of the great struggle between good and evil<\/strong>, between life and death, between love and all that is opposed to love\". (Pope St. John Paul II, 23)<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have only increased the call for the primacy of the family. \u201c[M]arriage and the family are rooted in the inmost nucleus of the truth about man and his destiny.\u201d (Pope Benedict XVI)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The family is \u201cthe fundamental cell of society\u201d.<\/span><\/span> (Evangelii Gaudium, 66)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

The Consequences of the Sexual Revolution in the Family<\/span><\/h2>\n


\"[W]e were assured...when God does die in a society, it becomes free. In reality, the death of God in a society also means the end of freedom\". (Pope Benedict XVI)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The sexual revolution held up a standard of freedom divorced from truth and human purpose (which is no freedom at all).<\/span><\/p>\n

It urged society to \"do whatever you want\". Rather than liberating anyone or improving human relationships and connection, it \"weakens the development and stability of personal relationships and distorts family bonds.\" (Pope Francis, 67)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The family is \u201cthe fundamental cell of society\u201d. (Evangelii Gaudium, 66)<\/a> \u201c[T]he family is placed at the center of the great struggle between good and evil<\/strong>, between life and death, between love and all that is opposed to love\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 23)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[D]oubt or error in the field of marriage or the family involves obscuring to a serious extent the integral truth about the human person\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 31)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Response to the Sexual Revolution? The Family<\/span><\/h2>\n


<\/span>\u201c[T]he family\u2026is the foundation of society.\u201d (Gaudium et Spes, 52)<\/a> It is the answer to the human crisis of our time. \u201c[M]arriage and the family are rooted in the inmost nucleus of the truth about man and his destiny.\u201d (Pope Benedict XVI)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

The societal pathologies unleashed by the sexual revolution (domestic abuse, abortion, contraception, divorce, promiscuity, rampant and casual pre-marital sex, etc.) can all be addressed by the \u201cthe family\u201d which \u201cconstitutes\u2026a community of love and solidarity\u201d. (Preamble, E., Charter of the Rights of the Family)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFamily relations contribute decisively to the sound building of human society\u201d. (Synod Report to Pope Francis, 50)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The family is the image of God<\/strong> who \u201cin his deepest mystery is not all by himself, but a family, since he has in himself fatherhood, sonship and the essence of the family, which is love\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

What Can I Do?<\/span><\/h2>\n


<\/span>\u201cChristians\u2026should actively\u00a0promote<\/b>\u00a0the values<\/strong>\u00a0of marriage and the family<\/strong>, both\u00a0by the examples of their\u00a0own lives\u00a0and by cooperation with other men of good will.\u201d\u00a0(Gaudium et Spes, 52)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

We must \"hold up to future generations the beauty of marriage and the family<\/strong>, and the fact that these institutions correspond to the deepest needs and dignity of the person.\" (Pope Benedict XVI, 44)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our culture cannot have a healthy attitude toward sex, morality, and human relationship without God as its foundation. \u201cIt is\u00a0urgent\u00a0therefore to\u00a0promote<\/strong>\u00a0not only family policies<\/strong>, but also those social\u00a0policies<\/strong>\u00a0which have the\u00a0family\u00a0as their principle object\u201d.\u00a0(Pope St. John Paul II, 49)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bible Verses About Homosexuality<\/a><\/p>\n

Christianity and Homosexuality<\/a><\/p>\n

What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality?<\/a><\/p>\n

What Can I Do About Homosexuality?<\/a><\/p>\n

Catholic and Gay<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Learn More About Church Teaching on Homosexuality<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Back to Articles<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\"Three<\/div>

Three Key Principles<\/a><\/h2>

Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles -\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Human Dignity<\/a><\/h2>

This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Solidarity<\/a><\/h2>

Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Subsidiarity<\/a><\/h2>

Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. (Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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