To the Editor:
Re “The Pope and the Birth Control Ban” (editorial, Sept. 21):
Pope Francis needs to listen to Catholic lay people about how the church’s rules affect their lives.
A mechanism already exists for the church to change its prohibition on artificial birth control in a theologically sound, well-established and face-saving way.
It is called “sensus fidelium,” or the “sense of the faithful.” It holds that a widespread (approaching universal) agreement among the clergy and the faithful on an issue indicates truth. Your editorial cites statistics that suggest that this has already been achieved regarding birth control, and, further, that Pope Paul VI acted in opposition to the sensus fidelium.
PATRICIA SOUTHWARD
Banner Elk, N.C.
