A recent unpublished article is entitled “A Positive Look at the Winnipeg Statement.” The reference is to the Canadian Catholic Bishops’ commentary on the encyclical Humanae Vitae, given at Winnipeg on Friday, September 27, 1968.
The “Positive Look” is based on a claim by the late Cardinal Carter that the Winnipeg Statement was nothing more than a pastoral response to the encyclical. Cardinal Carter said “… there was no question of dissent from our beloved Paul VI… we were about our pastoral business and were not trying to write a theological dissent” (“The Whole Truth About the Winnipeg Statement of 1968”, pamphlet, 1997).
The present notes demonstrate, I believe, the opposite was the purpose of the Winnipeg Statement. This conclusion is warranted by a look at the prior context of the Statement, the Winnipeg meeting itself and the subsequent events. The Winnipeg statement had no positive side. It was a true tragedy. (more...)
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