Key Church Documents
More than four decades after Pope St. John Paul II published Familiaris Consortio, its message remains remarkably relevant. In this episode of Living a Culture of Life, HLI President Fr. Shenan Boquet unpacks one of the Church’s most important documents on marriage and family life. Beginning with the historical context surrounding the 1980 Synod on…
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How does St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body help us understand marriage, family life, fertility, and the enduring wisdom of Humanae Vitae? In this final episode of our Theology of the Body series, Adolfo Castañeda explains how St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body forms the definitive Catholic defense of Humanae Vitae…
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What does Jesus mean when He says a man who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart — and what does that teach us about love, the problems with pornography, and the human person? In our second episode in this series, Adolfo Castañeda continues his deep dive into Pope…
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In this episode, Adolfo Castañeda, Human Life International’s Director of Hispanic Education, joins us to explore the foundations of Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Developed through 129 papal audiences, Theology of the Body offers one of the most profound Catholic explanations of human identity, marriage, sexuality, and God’s plan for men…
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What does Evangelium Vitae – St. John Paul II’s landmark 1995 encyclical on the Gospel of Life – teach us about freedom, truth, and the dignity of every human person? In this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet discusses why Evangelium Vitae remains a “comprehensive manifesto for the pro-life movement.” He explains its historical context, the false…
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On July 25, 1968, Pope St. Paul VI released the encyclical Humanae Vitae, or “of Human Life.” This encyclical reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s perennial teaching that contraception is always immoral. This encyclical sparked tremendous backlash, as many people expected the Catholic Church to allow the use of contraception. However, today, it’s clear that Humanae Vitae…
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Human dignity is fundamental to Christian ethics. But what is human dignity? Can it ever be lessened or taken away? On this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet unpacks the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith’s newest document on human dignity. Dignitas infinita discusses the different kinds of human dignity, as well as its effect on social…
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Rerum Novarum Explained: Catholic Social Teaching
What does Rerum Novarum say about human dignity, the family, just wages, and Catholic social doctrine? And how does this fit into a Culture of Life? In this episode, Fr. Shenan Boquet breaks down the key principles of Rerum Novarum, the landmark 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII that laid the foundation for modern Catholic…
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