Can the Church ban Capital Punishment?

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Can the Church ban Capital Punishment?

Only in Vatican City…

The Church can teach against capital punishment and can encourage governments to ban it or at least to use it as little as possible, but the Church cannot “ban” capital punishment in lands not under it’s political control.

Peace
James
 
Nice article, even if it is a bit lengthy. This topic offers many facets for further discussion. For example, I live in the Chicago area. The political machine here is notorius for pinning guilt on the wrong person and sentencing an innocent person to death. In short, a corrupt government is a poor dispenser of capital justice. This is one argument for minimizing or eliminating capital punishment.

In the beginning, rather in the Old Testament, capital punishment was declared in the law, given to the people and used regularly. Why should we place a ban on it now. You can offer the point, we have advanced as a civilization and society to the degree that incarceration is the right choice. Have we really advanced though.
 
Because “justice” is not a real reason for ending somebody’s being. And the modern civil state, with it’s legal system and all it’s physical appurtenances, can easily enforce “justice” without doing that.

The fact that CP was practiced in the OT is not in itself a reason to keep doing it. The OT also sanctioned slavery, execution of rebellious children (who’d survive childhood these days?!), stoning adulterers, etc. Our LORD never urged the maintenance of those legal requirements.

ICXC NIKA
 
I don’t think the Church ever would because it teaches it is not a moral evil.

Now I’ll be the first to agree that in modern societies, there is nearly no need for it.

However, not all societies on this planet are modern. There are still central African countries without modern prison systems and ways of keeping someone who might truly be dangerous contained. I will recognize that there may very well be some need for it in some circumstances in places such as those with truly dangerous people.

No matter what, however, will the Church ever teach anything wrong. As long as the Church teaches it is allowed, it is allowed.
 
AHapka said:
I don’t think the Church ever would because it teaches it is not a moral evil.
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The Church will never condemn capital punishment.*

The death penalty is not intrinsically evil. Both Scripture and long Christian tradition acknowledge the legitimacy of capital punishment under certain circumstances. The Church cannot repudiate that without repudiating her own identity. *(Archbishop Chaput)
Now I’ll be the first to agree that in modern societies, there is nearly no need for it.
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This assumes that protection is the only reason for using capital punishment but in fact it has never been justified by that objective alone. What justifies any punishment is … whether it is just. Whether, that is, the punishment fits the crime. From that perspective capital punishment is needed in every society because it is in fact the only truly just punishment for the crime of murder.

Ender
 
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