Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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Scooter
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Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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Today's editorial in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano:
The death penalty is inadmissible

The clear and decisive words with which Pope Francis has repeatedly condemned the death penalty should also be reflected in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In his speech last October, for the 25th anniversary of its publication of the Catechism, the Pontiff explicitly addressed the issue by affirming that the subject ought to find in the Catechism “a more adequate and coherent treatment”. In continuity with the previous Magisterium, in particular with the statements of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the Pope wanted to emphasize the dignity of the person who in no way can be humiliated or ostracized: “It must be clearly stated that the death penalty is an inhumane measure that, regardless of how it is carried out, abases human dignity. It is per se contrary to the Gospel”.

With the new formulation of n. 2267 of the Catechism, therefore, the Church takes a decisive step in promoting the dignity of every person, whatever crime he or she may have committed, and explicitly condemns the death sentence. The formulation makes it possible to grasp some innovative amendments that pave the way for a more responsible commitment in the life of believers, especially in those numerous countries where the death penalty is still in force.

The text does not only refer to a “change in the awareness” that is increasingly manifested by the people, and in particular, by the young generations called to assume responsibility for a new culture in favour of human life. A careful reading allows us to verify how the Church in recent decades has made real progress in understanding the teaching on the dignity of the person and, consequently, in the reassessment of her thinking on the death penalty.

To note the change in the awareness of the Christian people is certainly positive. To stress that today States have at their disposal many defence systems to protect the population, and that forms of detention have been developed which exclude the danger and trauma of violence being done to innocent people is also a determining factor.

However, this is not enough. The new text of the Catechism states that in the light of the Gospel the Church teaches that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and the dignity of the person”. This move highlights that one is dealing with a true dogmatic progress with which a content of the faith is clarified, one that has steadily matured to the point of making one understand the unsustainability of the death penalty in our time.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s letter to bishops that introduces the new text of the Catechism, shows [the Congregation’s] concern to stress that the new content is in continuity with the previous Magisterium. One cannot but observe, however, that Pope Francis’ strong stance allows us to grasp the progress that is being made. On the other hand, in his speech last October, the Pontiff, making his own John XXIII’s words in the inaugural addresss to the Second Vatican Council, expounded his thoughts with two verbs: to guard and to pursue.

To guard the sacred deposit of faith does not mean to mummify it, but to conform it ever more to its own nature and allow the truth of faith to answer the questions of each generation. Tradition cannot be represented as a fly in amber, to use a colourful English expression. If that were the case, we would have destroyed it. Rather, the Church’s teaching of faith is a proclamation, a vital word that challenges everyone always, everywhere and to be free to take a stance to undertake the transformation of the world.

Restoring the issue of the death penalty to the perspective of the dignity of the person, Pope Francis takes, therefore, a decisive step in the interpretation of a long-established doctrine. It is a question of a development and progress in the understanding of the Gospel that opens horizons that have so far remained in the shade due to an interpretation that was not always consistent. The history of dogma does not proceed from discontinuity, but from continuity aimed at progress through harmonious development that dynamically brings forth a long-established truth.

The Church is well aware that there are always mixed feelings in the face of such violent and inhumane crimes that lead a legitimate authority to pass the death sentence. In defending the abolition of the death penalty, one does not forget the suffering of the victims involved, nor the injustice that has been perpetrated. Rather, it is expected that justice take its own decisive step, not taken out of rancour and vengeance, but from a sense of responsibility beyond the present moment. It is a perceptive glance that recognizes that conversion, repentance and the desire to start life afresh cannot be taken away from anyone, not even from those who have been guilty of very serious crimes. Voluntarily suppressing a human life is contrary to Christian revelation. The challenge of the New Evangelization calls the Church to focus on forgiveness and redemption.
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Big RR
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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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I have to agree with the pope, but maybe this would go a lot further if they removed a symbol of capital punishment as the most recognizable symbol of their faith.

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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Except that the crucifixion is central to the entire belief system of the catholic faith; furthermore, there is an argument that the constant reminder of the horror of the crucifixion within the catholic faith is itself a testament against the death penalty.
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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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Big RR wrote:I have to agree with the pope, but maybe this would go a lot further if they removed a symbol of capital punishment as the most recognizable symbol of their faith.
I never forgot a line from Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City: "Christians are the only people on earth who kneel before an instrument of torture. If Christ had been martyred in this century, I guess we'd all be wearing little electric chairs around our necks."
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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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You gotta love the hypocrisy of Sean Hannity and his syncophants. He frequently conflates the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, regarding them both as sacred creeds. He is proudly a practicing Roman Catholic. Yet is he also in favor of the death penalty for many social transgressions. This ignores the oft quoted phrase in the Declaration of Independence: all men are endowed by their creator with inalienable rights, among them life. . . As well as the teachings of the Pope.

I suppose this is another example of 'normal' Christianity. There is a large body of commentary on the Bible and dogma that has accumulated over the last two thousand years. Nearly everybody picks and chooses, (cafeteria Christianity) selecting the parts they like and avoiding the parts that make them uncomfortable.

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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BSG--you may be right, but I also think there is a pretty broad acceptance of the death penalty among Christians; indeed, in the sotry of jesus talking to the thieves on the cross, one challenges him to save them, but the other says something like "we're being justly punished for our deeds, but this man has done nothing to deserve it"; in answering him Jesus doesn't say no one deserves the death penalty, but appears to accept it as well telling the man he will be with him in paradise that day. Indeed, most of the narrative around the crucifixion is that Jesus did not deserve that sentence, not that the sentence is, in itself, unjust.

But central to Christianity including roman Catholicism, is also the grace and mercy of god and god's love for mankind, which could be better represented by something other than an instrument of death and torture. Jesus suffered from the scourging as well, but people don't wear cats of nine tails around their necks or place them over their altars. A religion of love and redemption that rejects the inherent violence of the death penalty would, IMHO, be better represented by a dove of peace than by a cross.

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

Post by Lord Jim »

You gotta love the hypocrisy of Sean Hannity ...
Lord knows Sean Hannity is filled with enough hypocrisy that if it were an energy source you could use him to meet the power needs of a mid-sized American city for a year...(if sheer vileness were an energy source, he could be used to light up the entire eastern seaboard...)

But on this, I really don't see how he's any more hypocritical than the Liberal ostensibly Catholic pols and pundits who will be happy to cheer the church's stance on this, while supporting legalized abortion...
Last edited by Lord Jim on Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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BP--FWIW, I doubt there are many, if any, people who accept all the tenets/pronouncements of a religious body as part of their personal beliefs. There may have been a time in history where it was the case for uneducated people, but education will generally encourage people to think for themselves. So you have roman Catholics who use birth control and support abortion rights, Mormons who drink, etc. And it has been this way throughout history, from dissenting theologians to the reformation, etc. The term "cafeteria Christians" has a bit of a pejorative sound to it, I think it is more people who think and decide how they will approach god. Sure there are some who glibly toss aside ideas that make them uncomfortable or prevent them from doing what they want, but most are exercising their conscience--something recognized and encouraged by most religions.

One of my friends who is an orthodox Jew summed it up well by saying ultimately we are each responsible for our own relationship with god; we can rely on learned people to better understand the scriptures and what god wants/requires of us, but ultimately we must decide for ourselves and live with the consequences.

Now there are real hypocrites, people who condemn others for doing the same things they themselves do, but most people are just trying to make sense of it all.

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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Big RR wrote:BP--FWIW, I doubt there are many, if any, people who accept all the tenets/pronouncements of a religious body as part of their personal beliefs. There may have been a time in history where it was the case for uneducated people, but education will generally encourage people to think for themselves. So you have roman Catholics who use birth control and support abortion rights molest children, Anglicans who rape, Mormons who drink rob banks, etc. And it has been this way throughout history, from dissenting theologians to the reformation, etc. The term "cafeteria Christians" has a bit of a pejorative sound to it, I think it is more people who think and decide how they will approach god. Sure there are some who glibly toss aside ideas that make them uncomfortable or prevent them from doing what they want, but most are exercising their conscience--something recognized and encouraged by most religions
FTFY ????? :lol:
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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And your "fix" made it better because :shrug

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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"ultimately we must decide for ourselves and live with the consequences." Yep and I bless Monty Python and 'Life of Brian'

IMNSHO, that is truly the third greatest commandment. It think Jesus taught it. He was constantly replying to a request for authoritative answers by saying 'what do you think about it?' See Wikipedia for discussion of the first two: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commandment

Garrison Kellor on his radio show frequently mentioned Unitarians as shifting the '10 Commandment' into the ten suggestions. Not a shift for Mormons and drinking (ethanol or even coffee) for it is officially NOT a commandment. It comes from a bit of Mormon scripture cannon which states it is not by way of commandment, but as a word of wisdom, that these things should be avoided. Also fresh fruits and vegetables are encouraged and meat is to be eaten sparingly. This is from the 1830's and is fully inline with nutritional science today. I know nothing about the source of dietary restrictions among Seventh Day Adventists.

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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Big RR wrote:And your "fix" made it better because :shrug
Wasn't intended to make it better, RR. Was intended to provide more emphasis on,
The term "cafeteria Christians" has a bit of a pejorative sound to it, I think it is more people who think and decide how they will approach god.
Bit of provocation with mental tongue in cheek by me.

....and yes, I did read the contrast to "there are some who glibly toss aside ideas that make them uncomfortable or prevent them from doing what they want". But I think it may be impossible to slip an E-Z Wider between the two. After all, one man's "exercising of conscience" is another woman's "glibly tossing aside ideas etc."

First comes the discomfort and that's followed by the rationalizing away.

(It's a bit of a give-away when people capitalize a screen name, their own name and their dog's name but use a small g for God) :lol:
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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But that's only because god needs no honorifics--we don't call him Mr. G(g)od or Dr. G(g)od, or is that redundant; and is G(g)of really even his/her/its name or what he/she/it does? we wouldn't capitaliz "plumber" either. :lol:

But face it, I guess you can rationalize nearly everything, but then isn't that what we've done? For example, we've stopped obeying kosher rules not be cause of a command of jesus (again, no capitalization or honorific), but because commentators have said why it is irrelevant and we have chosen to take that position. The reformation was based on different views of the bible from those of the prevailing catholic churches, as was the great schism.

The difference between simple rationalization and greater understanding arises from both study and serious consideration; I rationalize on the spur of the moment that I can steal a soda from a convenience store because I am thirsty, but other decisions are made with serious contemplation and study and should not be lumped into the "rationalization" pot. Are there points that are immutable and not subject to change? IMHO, likely yes. Do we know what they are? Maybe, but that is where study and faith come into play; god id revealed to us, and it is up to each of us to decide what god wants. I will not condemn the honest pilgrim seeking to find his or her way toward god, but I will not necessarily take their counsel of follow their path.

And when their actions affect others, that is why we have civil/secular laws. Jesus was executed for sedition (after being found guilty in what passed for a trial at that time), but that did not make his teachings any less relevant.

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Well, I think your post clarifies "cherry-picking" from the Bible. God is something (but not a person so small g because I don't like the claims that he is a person). Teachings of Jesus - OK (except the ones I don't like) and capital J is OK for Jesus (at the start of a sentence but not in the middle because he isn't a person).

The reformation was based upon the corruption of the Roman church/Popes and in particular the venality of indulgences. Luther had no intention of creating a different faith but changing the human degradation that the Roman church exhibited. A reformed Roman Catholic church is what he was after. Next to that, spelling God with a small g seems rather grandstandy.

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For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Re: Catholic Church hardens its anti-death penalty stance

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If we limit the discussion of the reformation to Luther alone, you are correct; if we include later "reformers", then it was a change in the ultimate aim of the reformation away from a reformed RC church to a new church (churches).

As for "cherry-picking" and "grandstand", perhaps you have a point--but then I don't see either as negative. :lol:

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