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Critics also complain that the encyclical ignores historical realities that, to them, clearly justify a changing attitude toward contraception. The population explosion—which Paul treated sympathetically and at greater length in his 1966 encyclical Populorum Progressio—suggests that the biblical injunction to "increase and multiply" is no longer a useful guideline for all married couples. Both Protestants and Catholics see the latest encyclical as an unnecessary new obstacle to the realization of Christian unity.
Into the Lifeboat. Some argue that the Pope's grudging approval of only one medically inadequate means of controlling birth—the rhythm method—is inconsistent with his acknowledgment that sex is important as an expression of a loving marital relationship. Forcing a man and wife to practice rhythm, says Gunther Mack, ecumenical affairs editor of a German Protestant weekly Sonntags-blat, is "like sending a man on a sinking ship to a lifeboat full of holes."
The Pope's suggestion that contraception leads to the degradation of women, noted Dr. Andre Hellegers, a professor of gynecology at Georgetown University, "was a gratuitous slap at Protestant wives." Mrs. Walter Campbell of Cambridge, Mass., a former president of the Massachusetts Planned Parenthood League, objected to the tone of the encyclical: "Why, in a subject that concerns marriage and the family, is this addressed to 'Venerable Brothers and Beloved Sons'? Where do the women come in?" More seriously, assailants of the encyclical were disturbed that it was a one-man decision reflecting a minority view within the church and not a consensus of the faithful. Father Joos Arts, editor of the radical Dutch Catholic newspaper Nieuwe Linie went so far as to warn that "the Pope is isolating himself from the church."
What will be the impact of the encyclical? Almost certainly, schism is out of the question unless a strong effort is made by Rome to silence dissent. Said California's irreverent Episcopal James A. Pike: "Nobody cares enough about religion these days to want a schism." In some areas of the church with an extremely conservative priesthood and hierarchy, such as Los Angeles or much of Great Britain, it is probable that there will be countless quiet, unannounced defections from the church. At the same time, there is evidence that many Catholics will simply ignore the encyclical, without considering themselves any the worse for it. "There are millions of people to whom the Pope seems to be saying, 'You are in sin,' " said Father Robert Fox of Chicago's Loyola University. "They're answering back, The hell we are.' "
Faith and Hope. Already, there have been some disquieting signs that the Pope's dictum will be openly flouted. The Association of Washington priests, representing some 100 clerics in the archdiocese, formally endorsed the statement circulated by Father Curran.