ENCYCLICAL ROW STILL RAGES

BY A STAFF REPORTER
NPAPAL encyclical in the history of the Church caused so much controversy as Hwnanae Vitae, which reaffirms the Catholic Church's traditional ban on artificial methods of birth control.
As the furore continues into its second week bishops round the world have been calling emergency meetings to draft guidelines for their priests and laity.
As Cardinal Alfrink of Utrecht, Holland, points out, there is not likely to be any rupture in the Church, but there is growing concern that intemperate comment both for and against the Pope's pronouncement may alienate thousands of Catholics from the Church and damage the ecumenical movement.
"The time of schisms is over," said Cardinal Alfrink. -Encyclicals should be no reason for schism for anyone with some theological education."
Press bias?
Throughout Britain the points of the encyclical have been a daily talking point for the non Catholic just as much as the Catholic. Press comment has been so extensive that it has prompted a protest to the Press Council by Mr. Peter Mahon. the Catholic M.P. for Preston South.
He is alleging a "deliberate misrepresentation of the majority British Catholic viewpoint towards Pope Paul's anti-contraceptive message." He also claims that every channel of communication in Britain has been "rife with a hotchpotch and one-sided onslaught on the Pope and his document." He is urging the Press Council to intervene by issuing an immediate and overall reprimand.
The Lambeth Conference passed without dissent on Tuesday a motion disagreeing with the Pope's belief that birth control violates any "order established by God."
But the 470 Anglican bishops declined to cite contraception as a valuable aid to controlling populations in the developing countries.
The final resolution was worded with extreme care so as not to aggravate ecumenical relations. The Bishop of Norwich. Dr. Launcelot Fleming. said: "There was great sensitivity to the fact that the conference was not there to stand in judgment of the Pope's encyclical."
A large number of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales have issued pastoral letters commenting on the encyclical, some of which were read in churches last Sunday. The remainder Will be delivered this weekend.
An unprecedented flood of correspondence has poured into the CATHOLIC HERALD. with support for the encyclical running at a slightly higher rate than opposition.
A fair reflection of the divergent views among Catholics was the BBC Sunday night programme. The Question Why? in which Malcolm Muggeridge led a debate on the consequences of artificial birth control.
Wide outside interest
Debate on this programme and in the Press generally has revealed a yawning gap even between people of the same faith and social background.
Mr. Muggeridge's comment that "obviously the Pope's words are not going to be heeded by large numbers of his co-religious, who are clearly resolved to join in the pursuit of happiness, American-style--a Gadarene slide which will infallibly take them, as it has the rest of us, towards acceptance of easy divorce, promiscuity and abortion"—contrasts sharply with the views of the Anglican Bishop Welles of Western Missouri, expressed at the Lambeth Conference.
Bishop We4es. the father of four children. said he practised contraception and believed "this had enhanced his marriage." I
The gulf between Catholics on the subject has been as wide. For thoSe who disagree with the Pope they now face the dilemma of whether they can stay inthe Church. Cardinal Heenan in Sunday's pastoral letter appealed to those in this position to stay. but some bishops in Australia have taken a much harder line and directed that Catholics must obey the Pope or cut themselves off from the sacraments.