Page "Humanae Vitae" Paragraph 27

Albino Luciani's views on Humanae Vitae have been debated.

Journalist John L. Allen claims that " it's virtually certain that John Paul I would not have reversed Paul VI ’ s teaching, particularly since he was no doctrinal radical.

Moreover, as Patriarch in Venice some had seen a hardening of his stance on social issues as the years went by.

" According to Allen "... it is reasonable to assume that John Paul I would not have insisted upon the negative judgment in Humanae Vitae as aggressively and publicly as John Paul II did, and probably would not have treated it as a quasi-infallible teaching.

It would have remained a more ' open ' question ".

Other sources note that during his time as Patriarch of Venice that " Luciani was intransigent with his upholding of the teaching of the Church and severe with those, through intellectual pride and disobedience paid no attention to the Church's prohibition of contraception ", though while not condoning the sin, he was tolerant of those who sincerely tried and failed to live up to the Church's teaching.

The book states that "... if some people think that his compassion and gentleness in this respect implies he was against Humane Vitae one can only infer it was wishful thinking on their part and an attempt to find an ally in favor of artificial contraception.