John Paul II’s Teaching and Contemporary Challenges of Infertility

Szczepan Kaleciak

szczepankaleciak@pm.me
Université Pontificale Jean-Paul II de Cracovie, Pologne (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3059-5909

Abstract

Man by his nature is oriented towards spousal love, which finds its full expression in the reception of children. Unfortunately, nowadays he is increasingly confronted with the drama of infertility. The question thus arises as to how we are to understand a situation in which procreation is not possible without the intention or fault of the spouses. The aim of this article is to address the aforementioned question by examining the teachings of the Church and the anthropological principles developed by Karol Wojtyła in Person and Act and Love and Responsibility. Having outlined the nature of marriage as an institution open to life, the notion of 'parenthood' as a realisation of the disposition to procreation will be discussed in turn. The final section will endeavour to address the complex issue of sterility and to answer the question of the dignity of a sterile marriage. Furthermore, it will refer to two contemporary proposals for dealing with infertility.

Keywords:

John Paul II, infertility, ethics of conjugal life, naprotechnology, in vitro, personalist norm

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Published
2024-12-31

Cited by

Kaleciak, S. (2024). John Paul II’s Teaching and Contemporary Challenges of Infertility. Warsaw Theological Studies, 37(2), 70–86. https://doi.org/10.30439/WST.2024.2.3

Authors

Szczepan Kaleciak 
szczepankaleciak@pm.me
Université Pontificale Jean-Paul II de Cracovie, Pologne Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3059-5909

Szczepan Kaleciak – maîtrise et licence canonique en théologie, médecin en activité, séminariste au Séminaire de l’Archidiocèse de Cracovie (Podzamcze 8, 31-003 Cracovie, Pologne). Avant le séminaire, il a coopéré avec l’Institut de Bioéthique de l’Université Pontificale Jean-Paul II de Cracovie. Ses domaines de recherche incluent la bioéthique et l’éthique médicale, en particulier ses courants contemporains, ainsi que toutes les questions émergentes du dialogue entre la théologie et les sciences. 



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