I came across a talk recently, entitled A Catholic Vision of Love and Sex given at the Catholic Chaplaincy of St Andrew's University in Scotland by a member of the JPII Generation(i.e. born and grew up during John Paul II's pontificate). This generation of young people were strongly influenced by the late pope's clarity of vision and have embraced the Church's teachings, largely to the surprise and disguiet of the older generation. Having grown up in the brutal moral turmoil predicted by Humanae Vitae, the JPII Generation is now defending this prophetic encyclical in the public sphere with enthusiasm, making use of the new media to get the message across. Facebook, the social networking website so popular with young people, currently contains no fewer than 19 groups about Humanae Vitae, none of them negative.
One has to be realistic about the numbers of young people who disregard the Church's teaching but, 40 years on, it is possible for a generation who were born long after the encyclical was published, to consider the message of Humanae Vitae without the hang-ups and prejudices their parents may have had.
