Why "Humanae vitae" was not accepted. Fifty years ago, on July 25, 1968, the encyclical on the pill was published. Like no other papal teaching document before or after, this document, often referred to simply as the pill encyclical, sparked decades of controversial discussions. Many couples, theologians, and even bishops were and continue to be convinced that Pope Paul VI's decision to deem artificial methods of contraception as immoral was a mistake. The Second Vatican Council had re-evaluated marriage as a personal community of love and moved beyond a functionalist view of sexuality (with the primary purpose of marriage being procreation). However, Paul VI decided to remove the question of birth control from the council fathers and reserve it for himself. Ultimately, it remains unclear why the Pope followed the minority opinion of the bishops.