Sir, - Dr Connell's view of contraception is based on Humanae Vitae (1968), which itself is based on what Cardinal Konig of Vienna in 1992 dismissed as "the irritating distinction between artificial and natural contraception".
John Paul II and Archbishop Connell permit only the rhythm method of birth control. Husbands who use it need the accuracy of a Mafia hit-man. Their wives, if lucky, greet their next period like the Second Coming. Many Catholic marriages in the Third World are a torment because of papal teaching. How many of the poor have had a great comfort taken from them in times of grief or family crisis?
In 1968, John Paul II, then Archbishop of Krakov, wrote 60 per cent of Humanae Vitae. Wojtyla persuaded Paul VI to say that pontiffs cannot err on crucial moral matters; this would be so if he approved what all his predecessors condemned.
One critical fact was omitted by both men: the safe period, encouraged by Humanae Vitae, was declared wicked, a lustful calculation, whoredom, the pimp's method, mutual masturbation by almost all pontiffs before 1950.
Humanae Vitae referred often to "constant" Catholic teaching. In fact, pope after pope said there was only one moral purpose of sex: procreation. To have sex and not intend a child - worse, to have sex and intend not to have a child - was a grave sin. Paul VI's hindsight was far from 20-20; he didn't even have the tombstone votes.
To be consistent, the Pope and Dr Connell should say: couples should never separate sex from procreation. That means, never have sex during the safe period. Rather, couples should limit sex to the unsafe period. As always, Rome's teaching is not constant. It has changed it radically without admitting it. - Yours, etc., Peter De Rosa,
Ashford, Co Wicklow.