W
whitej30
Guest
I have asked several orthodox Catholic Priests (all who are personally more politically conservative than not), whether or not a Catholic can legitimately defend the use of the death penalty in the United States in our day and age; and all have said, “no, not really”.
Here is the commonly quoted letter from Pope Benedict: "There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not … with regard to abortion and euthanasia.”
I don’t disagree; abortion and euthanasia are inherently evil actions, never permissible. There is no question that the death penalty does not fit into this category. However, to assert (as many politically conservative orthodox Catholics I know do) that a Catholic can legitimately crusade both for or against the use of the death penalty in the United States in our day and age reeks of moral relativism.
It is either right or wrong in the eyes of God.
The above mentioned quote by Pope Benedict touches on the truth of the matter of the death penalty in that, in certain instances, putting to death a prisoner can be the moral (even obliged) action; for example, an aboriginal tribe who is not able to successfully incarcerate a prisoner who is a gave threat to other members of the tribe.
However, prudential judgment from both Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict, and the USCCB, have said that the death penalty is not acceptable to use in the US in our day and age. We are obliged as Catholics to take very seriously edicts given to us by authorities in the Church (the authority which is Christ-given).
I don’t understand how faithful, pro-life, orthodox Roman Catholics can (apart from suffering from cognitive dissonance) say they are in support of the death penalty in the US in our day and age.
The other day on the radio, listening to Catholic Answers Live, I heard the head of Catholic Answers say that a Catholic could legitimately be for the death penalty in the US.
I challenge this assertion and believe we, as a Catholic community, need to come out strong in opposition to this act. Not only as I believe it is a further erosion of the dignity of life which we are fighting tooth and nail to uphold in our society in the cases of abortion and euthanasia; but, as well, because it is a counter-productive stumbling block in the whole debate. To the outside observer, the integrity of our pro-life, anti-euthanasia position is ruined by also coming out in support of the death penalty.
Here is the commonly quoted letter from Pope Benedict: "There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not … with regard to abortion and euthanasia.”
I don’t disagree; abortion and euthanasia are inherently evil actions, never permissible. There is no question that the death penalty does not fit into this category. However, to assert (as many politically conservative orthodox Catholics I know do) that a Catholic can legitimately crusade both for or against the use of the death penalty in the United States in our day and age reeks of moral relativism.
It is either right or wrong in the eyes of God.
The above mentioned quote by Pope Benedict touches on the truth of the matter of the death penalty in that, in certain instances, putting to death a prisoner can be the moral (even obliged) action; for example, an aboriginal tribe who is not able to successfully incarcerate a prisoner who is a gave threat to other members of the tribe.
However, prudential judgment from both Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict, and the USCCB, have said that the death penalty is not acceptable to use in the US in our day and age. We are obliged as Catholics to take very seriously edicts given to us by authorities in the Church (the authority which is Christ-given).
I don’t understand how faithful, pro-life, orthodox Roman Catholics can (apart from suffering from cognitive dissonance) say they are in support of the death penalty in the US in our day and age.
The other day on the radio, listening to Catholic Answers Live, I heard the head of Catholic Answers say that a Catholic could legitimately be for the death penalty in the US.
I challenge this assertion and believe we, as a Catholic community, need to come out strong in opposition to this act. Not only as I believe it is a further erosion of the dignity of life which we are fighting tooth and nail to uphold in our society in the cases of abortion and euthanasia; but, as well, because it is a counter-productive stumbling block in the whole debate. To the outside observer, the integrity of our pro-life, anti-euthanasia position is ruined by also coming out in support of the death penalty.