Posted July 12, 2018

An upcoming conference will examine Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, Humanae Vitae (“On Human Life”), in honor of the landmark document’s 50th anniversary.

Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Life and Family and the Knights of Columbus, the all-day seminar will take place on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Logan Hotel, located at One Logan Square in Philadelphia.

A number of national speakers will present their insights at the conference, which will focus on the fulfillment of Pope Paul VI’s predictions about the negative impact of widespread artificial contraception, particularly on marriage and society. Writing in 1968, the pontiff observed that the separation of human sexuality from its procreative powers would exponentially increase marital infidelity, moral decline, and the abuse of power by governments. Rather than liberating women, he argued, artificial birth control would ultimately result in a loss of respect for women, as well as abortion on-demand.

The conference will also offer reflections on how selflessness, love, and moral responsibility can reverse such trends.

Speakers will include Dr. Janet Smith, professor of moral theology at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan; Mary Rice Hasson, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.; Father Robert McTeigue, S.J., professor of philosophy and theology, and a member of the National Ethics Committee of the Catholic Medical Association; Angela Lanfranchi, M.D., a breast cancer surgeon as well as the co-founder and current president of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute; Vicki Thorn, the founder of Project Rachel, who has presented extensively on abortion’s aftermath in women and men, the biochemistry of sex, and the biology of the theology of the body.

The Sisters of Life will also be in attendance, as part of their commitment to transform the current culture of death into one of life and love.

Registration for “Humanae Vitae: The Prophetic Voice of Blessed Paul VI 50 Years Later” is $125 per individual and $200 per couple. For archdiocesan elementary teachers and catechists, one elective or annual credit will be  granted to those who attend the entire conference.

For more information, contact Steve Bozza, director of the archdiocesan Office for Life and Family, at 215-587-5661 or sbozza@archphila.org, or visit https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=ea1c74.