La réaction du cardinal Suenens et de l'épiscopat belge à l'encyclique Humanae Vitae. Chronique d'une Déclaration (juillet – décembre 1968)

Abstract

Relying on sources found in several archives (in particular those of cardinal L.J. Suenens, the papers of the Belgian Episcopal conference, and the archive of MP G. Philips) this article studies both the way in which cardinal Suenens and the Belgian Hierarchy react to the encyclical Humanae Vitae. This "Statement" was particularly important given that it was one of the earliest (along with the Declaration of the German episcopate) reactions issued by an Episcopal conference, rendering the text into a model for other episcopates to rely on. Given that its principal author was M gr Philips - known as the key redactor of Vatican II's Lumen Gentium -, the document was characterised by its high standard dogmatic and ecclesiological content. After a short sketch of the role played by Suenens on the issue of Birth Control in the period between 1958 and 1968 (a.o. in the Pontifical Commission for Birth Control), Suenens's initial reactions to the encyclical, as well as his contacts on the matter with other cardinals, are carefully examined. Subsequently, we offer a detailed account of the laborious redaction of the "Statement of the Belgian Hierarchy". And finally we study the repercussions of this document in Belgium, and also in various "Roman" circles and on the international scene.