13. Theology of the Body & Human Sexuality

Amor y desamor: La pureza liberadora by Derville, G.

Address of John Paul II on the Theology of the Body

The Declaration Persona Humana, issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1975 and approved by Pope Paul VI, addresses the growing confusion and erroneous opinions spreading among the faithful regarding Catholic moral teaching, particularly in sexual matters. Its main themes include the reaffirmation of traditional doctrine on chastity as a virtue concerning the whole person, the need to counter deviations in sexual ethics, and the bishops' duty to instruct the faithful, seminaries, and confessors in fidelity to the Church's principles, which harmonize with God's order of creation. Theologically significant as an authoritative Magisterial intervention, it provides essential guidance for consciences amid modern challenges, emphasizing that these norms are not outdated superstitions but truths rooted in faith and human dignity.

The Instruction Dignitatis Personae, issued in 2008 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and expressly approved by Pope Benedict XVI, is a doctrinal document addressing pressing bioethical questions in biomedical research, including techniques of procreation, embryo manipulation, and interventions in the human genetic patrimony, building on prior teachings like Donum Vitae (1987) and Evangelium Vitae (1995). Its central themes affirm the dignity of every human person from conception to natural death as the foundational principle for ethical discernment, insisting that the value of scientific progress must be measured by unconditional respect for human life and the integrity of the personal act that transmits it. Theologically, it holds significant weight as part of the ordinary Magisterium of the successor of Peter, requiring the religious assent of Catholics and offering reliable moral perspectives drawn from both faith and reason to guide consciences amid modern challenges.

Donum vitae

Humanae Vitae, the 1968 encyclical of Pope Paul VI, addresses the Church's teaching on the moral regulation of birth within marriage, emphasizing responsible parenthood as a duty aligned with God's will rather than arbitrary human choice. Its core themes include the inseparable union of the unitive and procreative meanings of the marital act, the prohibition of artificial contraception, sterilization, and abortion as violations of the natural law inscribed in the human body, and the limits imposed on human dominion over life due to reverence for the person. Theologically, it upholds the Church's role as guardian of the divine moral law, fostering true human dignity, mutual love, and a civilization of life amid cultural opposition, affirming that observance enhances personal nobility through grace.

Official Website of the Holy See

If God forbids something, whether it be killing, lying, stealing, fornicating, or anything else, he does so not just because these things are evil in themselves, but also because they make us evil, lowering our nature to the level of the beasts. In this context it is easy to understand St. Augustine’s exclamation: “What am I to you that you should command me to love you, and if I do not, are angry and threaten vast misery? Is it then a trifling sorrow not to love you?” Therefore the sixth commandment, though formulated negatively, is fully understood only within the context of the love of God — for this is how we are to understand that the prohibitive nature of the commandment actually entails positive dimensions. It makes little sense if we interpret it from an exclusively negative point of view; for indeed it is an invitation to love.

St. John Paul II's Love & Responsibility

The concept of love and courtship in Catholic teaching.

Article - Man and Values: A Personalist Anthropology by Burke, C.

Reflections on Humanae Vitae by St John Paul II

The Moral Dignity of Man by Bristow, P.

The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines for Education Within the Family (1995), issued by the Pontifical Council for the Family, offers pastoral guidelines to assist parents in educating their children about human sexuality within a rich Christian anthropology, drawing on Scripture, Tradition, and scientific insights. Its main themes portray sexuality as a divine gift—a fundamental component of the person that integrates body and spirit in self-giving love, marked by the complementarity of man and woman, and oriented toward vocations like marriage or consecrated virginity/celibacy. Theologically significant, the document counters modern cultural reductions of sexuality to biology or selfish pleasure by affirming it as a sacred mystery reflecting God's fruitful love, affected by original sin yet redeemed through chastity, thus fostering a "civilization of love" over a "civilization of use."

Theology of the Body - General Audiences by St John Paul II