An initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Sunday Pope Quote: Pope Paul VI on the meaning of married love

 

Today’s Pope Quote is an oldie but a goodie. In his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI mediates on various characteristics of marital, or conjugal, love. Together, these characteristics provide a robust picture of what all married love is, and called to be.

Pope Paul VI: “This love is first of all fully human, that is to say, of the senses and of the spirit at the same time…

[T]his love is total, that is to say, it is a very special form of personal friendship, in which husband and wife generously share everything…

[T]his love is faithful and exclusive until death…

“[F]inally, this love is fecund, for it is not exhausted by the communion between husband and wife, but is destined to continue, raising up new lives.”

Read the whole passage in section 9 of Humanae Vitae.

About this series:

Every Sunday, the Marriage: Unique for a Reason blog will feature a short quote from either our current Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, or our late Holy Father, Bl. John Paul II. These two men have given the world an immense treasury of wisdom about marriage, love, and the meaning of the human person, all of which are topics integral to the Church’s witness today. Their words are well worth reflecting on, as we have much to learn from these wise successors of St. Peter.

All Sunday Pope Quotes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.