Dear Lost Wanderer,
Yes I did read your post, I am not attempting to misrepresent what you said. I just think that you might need to reconsider your views in terms of our Church’s teachings. I am no expert on the faith, I am learning myself, but certain things strike me about some of the views that you have expressed, as being somewhat “angry”. There may be what you may believe to be justification if this is the case - then I do not mean to offend, only to point out that which seems clear to me on reading your post.
You may indeed have a better knowledge of the catechism than I do, that would not be hard! But I think that the following extracts might be of benefit to you if you are not already familiar: I think this has already been quoted, but nevertheless:
*2267 Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - **without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself *
- the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically nonexistent.”
I think that whilst the above does not actually say that parole is possible it hints as such, also it does point that way to my mind and you would surely agree that there comes a time if the convicted person has been judged by his peers to be thoroughly redeemed, to keep him or her incarcerated then becomes revenge - in the way that the death penalty would be as per my previous argument - to remove all hope from a person is to damn them in this life, and would surely not be conducive to redemption, and indeed could lead to that persons own eternal damnation if not given the forgiveness that our Lord requires us to give if we want our own sins forgiven! He may see the acts of christian people as part of his torment, and lead him to reject God!
Look to the Church’s teachings on justice - see particularly 1933 on forgiveness.
*I. RESPECT FOR THE HUMAN PERSON
1929 Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man. The person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him:
What is at stake is the dignity of the human person, whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt.35
1930 Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy.36 If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church’s role to remind men of good will of these rights and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims.
1931 Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that "everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as ‘another self,’ above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity."37 No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a “neighbor,” a brother.
1932 The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."38
1933 This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us. The teaching of Christ goes so far as to require the forgiveness of offenses. He extends the commandment of love, which is that of the New Law, to all enemies.39 Liberation in the spirit of the Gospel is incompatible with hatred of one’s enemy as a person, but not with hatred of the evil that he does as an enemy.*
I pray that you wander lost no more, and that you find your answers,
Respectfully,
Suzle
) then I would say that the death penalty is ok.”
