Francis Michael Walsh

Josef Fuchs's Proposal for the Renewal of Moral Theology: an Analysis and Critique in the Light of Veritatis Splendor Francis Michael Walsh

The Second Vatican Council called for the renewal of all the sacred sciences, especially that of moral theology. Josef Fuchs, then a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, offered his proposal for renewal, one which was shaped by proportionalist thought. This school arose in the wake of efforts to justify a change in the position of the Catholic Church regarding artificial contraception. In 1993, this approach to moral thinking was the subject of an analysis and critique by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Veritatis splendor. This book seeks to situate Fuchs's proposal in the context of his participation in the efforts to secure a renewal of moral theology and to explain why his proposal was rejected by the magisterium of the Church.