Today marks the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae (Latin: Of Human Life), the encyclical promulgated on July 25, 1968 by Pope Paul VI. I know that many people could go their entire lives without ever reading a papal encyclical. But I must urge you to read at least this one.

Carrying the subtitle On the Regulation of Birth, this letter from the pope reaffirmed the Church’s teaching on the topics of abortion, contraception and other human life issues. Many consider this letter to have been prophetic, in that its four predictions about the social effects of contraception were accurate and have unfortunately come to fruition in our world: infidelity and moral decline; lost respect for women; government imposed birth control; and irreverence to human life.

It isn’t a long document: this free ebook of Humanae Vitae (PDF, 340 K) is only 16 pages. So don’t be intimidated. Read it! This is a critical document in understanding why the Catholic Church opposes contraception.