Turning Point: The Inside Story of the Papal Birth Control Commission, and How Humanae Vitae Changed the Life of Patty Crowley and the Future of the Church

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More compelling than a novel because it is true, this dramatic story records a watershed event in a way never told before - through the experience of some of the lay people who lived it, particularly Patty Crowley, one of the most revered women in the Catholic Church today. Historians agree that the Vatican decision to go against the majority report of the Papal Birth Control Commission is one of the most important events in Catholic history in this century. To many, the encyclical Humanae Vitae represents both a...
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Overview

More compelling than a novel because it is true, this dramatic story records a watershed event in a way never told before - through the experience of some of the lay people who lived it, particularly Patty Crowley, one of the most revered women in the Catholic Church today. Historians agree that the Vatican decision to go against the majority report of the Papal Birth Control Commission is one of the most important events in Catholic history in this century. To many, the encyclical Humanae Vitae represents both a turning point and a lost moment. Award-winning journalist Robert McClory brings to life the incredible events surrounding that decision, and reveals its meaning in a way that will stick in memory, stir new debate, and impact the future.

Historians and interested observers agree that the Vatican decision to go against the majority report of the Papal Birth Control Commission is one of the most important events in Catholic history in this century. Award-winning journalist McClory brings to life the incredible events surrounding that decision.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Cahners\\Publishers_Weekly
In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued an encyclical, Humanae Vitae, upholding the Catholic Church's ban on contraception. His stance went against the majority opinion of the Papal Birth Control Commission, an unprecedented gathering of bishops, cardinals, gynecologists, physicians, psychiatrists, demographers, sociologists, economists and married couples, which met in Belgium and Rome between 1963 and 1966. In an exposé unveiling intrigue and bitter controversy at the highest levels of the Catholic Church, Northwestern University journalism professor McClory charges that Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, head of the commission's final session, met privately with Paul VI, presented him with the "Minority Report" condemning birth control and personally swayed the pope to reverse his initial predisposition, which was toward approval of contraception within marriage. Pat and Patty Crowley, a married couple from Chicago, former leaders of the Christian Family Movement, served on the commission, voicing CFM members' desire for a change in Vatican policy. McClory skillfully interweaves the Crowleys' personal story with that of Humanae Vitae, tracing the couple's frustration and disillusionment with the Church's unbending position. Included is the full text of the commission's "Majority Report," never officially released by the Vatican. Photos.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued an encyclical, Humanae Vitae, upholding the Catholic Church's ban on contraception. His stance went against the majority opinion of the Papal Birth Control Commission, an unprecedented gathering of bishops, cardinals, gynecologists, physicians, psychiatrists, demographers, sociologists, economists and married couples, which met in Belgium and Rome between 1963 and 1966. In an expos unveiling intrigue and bitter controversy at the highest levels of the Catholic Church, Northwestern University journalism professor McClory charges that Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, head of the commission's final session, met privately with Paul VI, presented him with the ``Minority Report'' condemning birth control and personally swayed the pope to reverse his initial predisposition, which was toward approval of contraception within marriage. Pat and Patty Crowley, a married couple from Chicago, former leaders of the Christian Family Movement, served on the commission, voicing CFM members' desire for a change in Vatican policy. McClory skillfully interweaves the Crowleys' personal story with that of Humanae Vitae, tracing the couple's frustration and disillusionment with the Church's unbending position. Included is the full text of the commission's ``Majority Report,'' never officially released by the Vatican. Photos. (Mar.)
Library Journal
Journalism professor McClory retells the dramatic story of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission on Population, Family, and Birth. This commission met from 1964 to 1966 under papal auspices to determine whether Roman Catholic teaching on contraception might be modified in view of developments in medicine, social sciences, and moral theology. The 1965 fourth meeting saw membership expanded to include more laymen and a few women. The majority final report recommended changes in traditional church views, but Pope Paul VI was convinced privately to retain the ban on contraception in Humanae Vitae (1968). Robert Kaiser has already told the story in The Politics of Sex and Religion: A Case History in the Development of Doctrine (Leaven Pr., 1985), but McClory focuses on U.S. commission members Pat and Patty Crowley, their work and bitter disappointment, and 1969-94 developments. Recommended for Catholic and population collections.-Anna Donnelly, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, N.Y.
Booknews
On the triumph of the stiff-necked, misanthropic minority on the Commission. Their back-room pressure on John Paul contributed to the 14 million hunger-related deaths in 1993, and put that terrible policy in the hands of the current pontiff of procreations. A tragedy of cosmic dimensions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Steve Schroeder
This eminently readable account of the papal birth control commission initiated by John XXIII and continued by his successor, Paul VI, is also a fine popular history of Roman Catholic teaching on contraception. McClory, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, focuses on the small group of lay members, particularly longtime Chicago activist Patty Crowley. The focus makes for a compellingly personal story that is also an occasion for reflection on the role of the laity in the formation of Catholic doctrine. McClory does an excellent job of recounting events that led to the formation of the commission; the conversions undergone by a number of theologians (and bishops) under the influence of its "almost democratic" deliberations; the political machinations that led to a rejection of its findings in "Humanae Vitae"; and the aftermath of that rejection for commission members, Paul VI, and the church. The complete text of the majority report, "Responsible Parenthood," is included as an appendix. McClory is to be commended for making this story accessible to a popular audience; the book is an invaluable contribution to ongoing discussion about contraception and the teaching authority of the church.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780824514587
  • Publisher: Crossroad Publishing Company
  • Publication date: 4/1/1995
  • Pages: 224
  • Lexile: 1330L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 6.19 (w) x 9.26 (h) x 0.80 (d)

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