David Ancell / Wednesday August 20, 2003
I remember reading Fr. Mitch Pacwa’s book a few weeks ago, Father, Forgive Me, For I Am Frustrated. One of the things that Fr. Mitch Pacwa decries is that the many groups that stand for orthodoxy often don’t get along with each other. Some do this by dogmatizing things that are not doctrinally settled. Others nuance some statement of another group and decide that they are really “not Catholic enough.”
I read Jeff Miller’s blog and found this article attached to this post. It basically goes through several writings by Greg Popcak and concludes that he isn’t really Catholic, or something like that. I don’t want to take the time to refute it point by point, but I will give my general impressions.
First of all, it assumes that he is recommending psychology instead of Church teaching. It is quite possible to use any natural science in accord with Church teaching. It does not have to be an either-or situation, and I don’t think Popcak intends it to be.
Second, the article suggests that mentioning NFP in the teen years is meant to prepare a man to reduce the number of births. NFP properly understood is also used to get pregnant as well as avoid pregnancy. And yes, monitoring the health of his wife is an important part of NFP because it is one factor that determines whether or not they can or should have a baby.
There can well be healthy disagreement on the application of Church teachings. If one stays within the teachings, then don’t say he’s outside the Church because you don’t agree with his methods.
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