Often, a person’s path to sainthood reveals the heart of their mission on earth. For St. Paul VI, canonized in 2018, a remarkable coincidence reveals something profound about his mission as pope.
The miracles that paved the way to his beatification and canonization both regarded the healing of unborn children. This seems like more than a coincidence for a pope who defended the dignity of human life in countless ways, famously in his encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Is it any wonder he became a saint who intercedes especially for the most vulnerable? His canonization story is a witness to the Church's steadfast defense of life from conception to natural death.
Humanae Vitae
St. Paul VI wrote Humanae Vitae in 1968, during an era of cultural upheaval and changing attitudes toward sexuality and contraception. The encyclical reaffirmed the Church's teaching that artificial contraception violates the natural law and God's design for marriage.
This decision came as a surprise to many and was met with criticism, even from some Catholics. Yet Paul VI stood firm in his conviction that human life is sacred from its very beginning.
He understood that contraception and abortion spring from the same mentality that treats human beings as objects to be used or discarded at will. His teaching affirmed the Catholic position that each person is an unrepeatable and unique child of God, deserving of full dignity and respect.
The encyclical proved eerily prophetic. Paul VI warned that contraception would lead to loss of respect for women and loosening of sexual morals. Have we not seen countless examples of these? His defense of life's sanctity sent an important message that our world badly needs to hear.
The canonization miracles
St. Paul VI's canonization was based on two miracles: a healing of an unborn child in the 1990s in California, and a similar healing of an unborn child in 2014 in Italy. Both cases involved mothers who were advised to have abortions due to serious health concerns for their unborn children. Both prayed for the intercession of Pope Paul VI and the children were born healthy.
It is worth noting, by the way, that cases of women told to abort a child who turns out to be born perfectly healthy are scarily common. Prenatal diagnoses are an inexact science at best, and I personally know several women to whom this has happened. Even secular outlets are starting to pay attention to how often this happens, as in this recent BBC article, We aborted healthy babies after NHS mistakes, couples tell BBC.
But the miracles for St. Paul VI’s canonization involved extraordinary circumstances that usually prove fatal for the baby. And the miraculous healing of these two unborn children sent a powerful message.
St. Paul VI's miracles reveal the depth of his mission to stand up for the most vulnerable. We can invoke his mighty prayers for their protection — and look to his example when we ourselves must stand in defense of human life.
