Catholism's stand on capitol punishment

[JJSTEARNS]

What is the position of the catholic faith on capital punishment? I am a 38 year old male returning to college. One of my research papers is on capital punisment. I just wanted to know what my faith says. Is it wright or wrong? Is it a sin? If anyone can help please respond.
Thank You

 

[1ke]

I would suggest you review the entire section of the Catechism dealing with the Fifth Commandment to understand the Church’s teaching regarding life issues:

vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a5.htm

Your specific question is addressed in paragraphs 2263-2267, but the entire section will give you the full context.

 

[tjm190]

The Church rejects it altogether

 

[Irish_Becca]

Capital Punishment
2266 The State’s effort to contain the spread of behaviors injurious to human rights and the fundamental rules of civil coexistence corresponds to the requirement of watching over the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime. The primary scope of the penalty is to redress the disorder caused by the offense. When his punishment is voluntarily accepted by the offender, it takes on the value of expiation. Moreover, punishment, in addition to preserving public order and the safety of persons, has a medicinal scope: as far as possible it should contribute to the correction of the offender.[67]

2267 The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the **only **practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor.

"If, instead, bloodless means are sufficient to defend against the aggressor and to protect the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.

"Today, in fact, given the means at the State’s disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender **‘today … are very rare, if not practically non-existent.’ **

My bolding.

So basically, Church teaching is against it.

 

[dmelosi]

The Church rejects it altogether

This statement is not true.

 

[kristie_m]

I second Irish Becca’s post.

Check out www.usccb.org and search death penalty for more info. (Granted, this would only be the US bishops conference, but still…it’s a good source.)

 

[Antrim]

I dont think a catholic on a Jury in a death penalty case can sentence a person to death.
because I think it is considered revenge.
Revenge is mine says the Lord therefore no one but Our Lord is allowed to take it.

When a person is executed that is murder.

Antrim

 

[kristie_m]

I dont think a catholic on a Jury in a death penalty case can sentence a person to death.
because I think it is considered revenge.
Revenge is mine says the Lord therefore no one but Our Lord is allowed to take it.

When a person is executed that is murder.

Antrim

And yet, you’d be surprised at how many Catholics are pro-death penalty. The pastor at my church recently gave a talk on this, and he put it this way, “regardless of what my personal feelings or desires might be, should someone be convicted of killing my mother or sister, it’s not about how I want to handle it, but about how Jesus would handle it.” (Okay, that’s a pretty loose quote, but you get the idea.)

It’s natural for us to want revenge. Much harder to offer mercy, and a chance at redemption.

 

[TheDoctor]

I dont think a catholic on a Jury in a death penalty case can sentence a person to death. because I think it is considered revenge. Revenge is mine says the Lord therefore no one but Our Lord is allowed to take it. When a person is executed that is murder.Antrim

I am not sure it is revenge unless the only reason I am doing it is for personal motivation.

If the guilty party meets the guidelines for the death penalty, I am fulfilling my obligation as a citizen and a sworn juror to vote for death. As a Catholic, as long as following the civil law does not conflict with my duty to God, there is no issue (“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” - Matt 22:21)

 

[1ke]

And yet, you’d be surprised at how many Catholics are pro-death penalty.

The Church doesn’t teach the death penalty is intrinsically evil. It can be legitimately and morally applied in some circumstances.

This is an area where Catholics do have lattitude regarding their stance. There are legitimate disagreements on what circumstances warrant the death penalty-- the discussion can center on that.

The discussion cannot be that the death penalty is intrinsically evil, or that a Catholic can never support the death penalty, because this is not a true statement.

 

[Ender]

What is the position of the catholic faith on capital punishment? I am a 38 year old male returning to college. One of my research papers is on capital punisment. I just wanted to know what my faith says. Is it wright or wrong? Is it a sin? If anyone can help please respond.
Thank You

If you limit your research to documents from JPII’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae and later you will have one view of the Church’s position but if you go back to everything written before then you will come away with the opposite position. I have a bucket load of references from popes, councils, and doctors of the Church going back to Pope St. Innocent I that have a completely different understanding of capital punishment. If you’re interested let me know and I’ll send you the file.

Ender

 

[estesbob]

The Church rejects it altogether

The Church does now and has always allowed for the death penalty. You statement is simply not true.

 

[estesbob]

If you limit your research to documents from JPII’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae and later you will have one view of the Church’s position but if you go back to everything written before then you will come away with the opposite position. I have a bucket load of references from popes, councils, and doctors of the Church going back to Pope St. Innocent I that have a completely different understanding of capital punishment. If you’re interested let me know and I’ll send you the file.

Ender

Then Cardinal Ratzinger made it clear that catholics can support the death penalty.

My problem with this debate is that although i oppose the death penalty to often the issue is used as a stalking horse for disident Catholics to jusify supporting pro-abortion canidates. they use the bogus “seamless garment” analogy and try and draw a moral eqaivalenbce between supporting the death penalty and supporting abortion

 

[kristie_m]

The Church doesn’t teach the death penalty is intrinsically evil. It can be legitimately and morally applied in some circumstances.

This is an area where Catholics do have lattitude regarding their stance. There are legitimate disagreements on what circumstances warrant the death penalty-- the discussion can center on that.

The discussion cannot be that the death penalty is intrinsically evil, or that a Catholic can never support the death penalty, because this is not a true statement.

I never said that it did. This is what the Church teaches…

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 are 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 non-existent."

The part in bold just makes me wonder how it is that any Catholic can still think that the death penalty is okay.

 

[estesbob]

The part in bold just makes me wonder how it is that any Catholic can still think that the death penalty is okay.

Because the Church has specifically said that it is OK for Catholics to support the death penalty. The cathecism leaves it up to the prundential judgement of the State BUT expresses it opinion that it should be rare.

I oppose the Death penalty and have spent many nights(then evenings when they moved the execution time from midnite to 6PM) at the prison in Huntsville Texas protesting when executions were taking place BUT i absolutely cringe when i see people making the claim that the Church forbids the death penalty. it is simply not true . When we make claims that are not true it hurts our credibility when we explan other moral teachings of the church. The argument then becomes "well if the Church can CHANGE its teachings on the death penalty why cant it change its teachings on homosexual behavior, or female ordination, etc, etc, etc,

 

[Timbothefiveth]

If the guilty party meets the guidelines for the death penalty, I am fulfilling my obligation as a citizen and a sworn juror to vote for death. As a Catholic, as long as following the civil law does not conflict with my duty to God, there is no issue (“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” - Matt 22:21)

Sentencing someone to death might conflict with God though, if it’s not needed to protect society.

 

[Timothysis]

When a person is executed that is murder.

Antrim

Please consult an encyclopedia. To willfully and unjustly take an innocent life is to murder; to impose the death penalty by legitimate legal authority and within the confines of the law of the land for the commission of heinous crimes against innocent people or persons is killing.

One may legally kill within the confines of the law; to murder is never justified and it occurs outside of the law, hence the reason why it is punishable as a crime.

While I am not really in favor of the death penalty (I think there is enough killing in the world already) I do think that there is legal justification for the imposition of such a verdict. The Church, though, takes a sort of “pie in the sky” attitude toward the death penalty but still allows that it is justifiable . One may be for it or against it in good conscience.

 

[kristie_m]

Because the Church has specifically said that it is OK for Catholics to support the death penalty. The cathecism leaves it up to the prundential judgement of the State BUT expresses it opinion that it should be rare.

I oppose the Death penalty and have spent many nights(then evenings when they moved the execution time from midnite to 6PM) at the prison in Huntsville Texas protesting when executions were taking place BUT i absolutely cringe when i see people making the claim that the Church forbids the death penalty. it is simply not true . When we make claims that are not true it hurts our credibility when we explan other moral teachings of the church. The argument then becomes "well if the Church can CHANGE its teachings on the death penalty why cant it change its teachings on homosexual behavior, or female ordination, etc, etc, etc,

I understand where you’re coming from, with folks making blanket statements about the church “forbidding” the death penalty. Yes, we absolutely want to be clear about what the church teaches on ALL matters. Still, there’s something in what you’re saying (or maybe how it’s being phrased) that is nagging at me. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is…

I think, perhaps, because when I read what the Catechsim says, I imagine a scenario where the evil twin of the Incredible Hulk is put behind bars is put into a supermax prison, with a “natural life” sentence, and escapes to go on another killing rampage. This is the “rare” example that comes to mind of when the state’s means of keeping society safe from the offender is insufficient. I have a tough time imagining a scene where your average death row inmate can’t be contained.

I think it’s fair to say that while the church does not outright forbid the use of capitol punishment, She definitely discourages its use.

ha…as I re-read both of our posts, I figured out what was bugging me. The use of the word “rare” has now been associated in my mind with what so many politicians are saying about abortions…“yeah, they should be rare, so let’s make them as easy as possible to get, and make the taxpayers fund them!”

I know, I’m being stupid about this, but that word just really bugs me these days.

 

[estesbob]

I think it’s fair to say that while the church does not outright forbid the use of capitol punishment, She definitely discourages its use.

Without a doubt. But she does allow for it and does allow for Catholics to support it.

 

[Timbothefiveth]

You probably shouldn’t be supporting it when it’s not necessary though. It seems risky to me.