Exactly,
Now if I, in the course of an attack, shoot someone in order to stop their attack and afterward call for medical assistance, how could it be said that I INTENDED the attacker to die.
If the INTENT is to cause the death of the attacker, why would one call for an ambulance (as I would). Would not a fatal intent require me to walk up to the diabled attacker and fire into their skull?
Is that the level of intent that you are accusing of of having. If so, state so and I’ll let the moderators handle that one.
Generally speaking, if I draw my gun, the first intent\hope is that the the attacker reconsider and surrender secondly to reconsider and flee.
Third and final, is that if they DO continue with the attack, that the use of force is sufficent to stop them.
This is the EXACT same intent that the Police use.
If we followed your logic, no Catholic could ever become a Police officer, because, in your mind, an in intent to use a firearm is ALWAYS and intent to kill. It is not. The intent is to stop the attack.
Which is exactly what +John Paul is saying.
When reading this, I am reminded of what old Colonel E. J. Kennedy was wont to say to, “It is sufficient to merely surprise the enemy. You don’t have to freakin’
astonish him!”
This is another example where one word has been assumed to have a meaning outside its intent. “Unintended” does not mean freakin’
astonished!
But the lad with whom you are debating would have it so.
To understand the meaning of “unintended” in the Church’s context, let us look at a tubal pregnancy. If nothing is done, both mother and child will die. If the tube is removed, the child will die, but the mother will live. And the Church considers this a morally acceptable act. Now there is no question of the surgeon being freakin’
astonished. He knows the child will die. But that is not his
intention. His intention is to save the mother.
Consider a patient dying of pancreatic cancer (as my Mother-in-Law died.) This is a horribly painful death, and the amount of painkillers needed to control the pain can hasten death. The Church agrees with such pallative treatment – if the intent is to allow the patient to die with dignity, and not to kill. The doctor who prescribes the morphine drip knows it may hasten death, but that is not his
intention.
Similarly, when facing an unjust aggressor and in fear of your own life, you may take action to stop his attack – even though you are not freakin’
astonished when he dies.
And as has been pointed out, as soon as the attack ceases, you must take action to save the attacker’s life if possible.
