FROM September 1979 to November 1984 Pope John Paul II devoted his Wednesday audiences to an in-depth biblical explanation of the mystery of marriage and human sexuality. This series of audiences is collectively known as the “theology of the body.”

INSPIRED by Paul VI’s statement in Humanae Vitae that the problem of birth regulation must be considered in light of a “total vision of humanity” (cf. n. 7), John Paul’s catechesis on the body seeks to provide a “total vision of humankind,” or what he calls an “adequate anthropology.”

FOLLOWING the research of Michael Waldstein, it became clear that these catecheses were originally composed as a book, Male and Female He Created Them, written prior to the Pope's election but never published.  Waldstein has made available the original chapter and subject headings, and published three additional catecheses on the Song of Songs and two on Tobit that were never delivered.  The translation employed here is the official version published in Osservatore Romano and widely-available on-line; however the original chapter and subject headings have been restored

FROM September 1979 to November 1984 Pope John Paul II devoted his Wednesday audiences to an in-depth biblical explanation of the mystery of marriage and human sexuality. This series of audiences is collectively known as the “theology of the body.”

Inspired by Paul VI’s statement in Humanae Vitae that the problem of birth regulation must be considered in light of a “total vision of man” (cf. n. 7), John Paul’s catechesis on the body seeks to provide a “total vision of man,” or what he calls an “adequate anthropology.”