Teaching on the Death Penalty

[Don_Ruggero]

Don_Ruggero. What do you think this means?

It means exactly what it says, according to the plain meaning of the words.

Obsequium must be given to this teaching of the Church.

Cardinal Ladaria has well explained the matter in his commentary on the occasion of the revision’s publication.

The Catholic Answers Apologist has also well explained the matter and I simply refer to his text rather than Cardinal Ladaria because, for Catholic Answers, the apologists of that same organisation cannot be argued with on this forum. Forum users must accept what they write.

Understanding the Catechism Revision on the Death Penalty | Catholic Answers Magazine

 

[Cathoholic]

Thanks for linking to Jimmy Akin’s excellent article.

As a doctrinal development, it would qualify as authoritative teaching (as opposed to mere theological opinion), and it would qualify as non-definitive (i.e., non-infallible) Church teaching.

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Don_Ruggero . .

“It means exactly what it says”.

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Then the “inadmissible” must be in the context of “today”, and not in the context of an intrinsic evil.

Today, however . . . the Church teaches . . . that "the death penalty is inadmissible

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Also from Akin’s article . . .

Does the new revision indicate that the death penalty is intrinsically evil?
One might think so, since it says the death penalty is “inadmissible” because “it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” However, a careful reading of the revision, and Cardinal Ladaria’s letter, suggests this is not the way the phrase should be understood. (Msgr. Charles Pope reaches the same conclusion.)

(Second bold mine)

And again from Jimmy’s review . . . .

If the death penalty is not being judged intrinsically evil, what has changed?

It appears that Pope Francis has made a prudential judgment that, given present circumstances in society, there are no longer situations in which the death penalty is warranted.

Consequently, this judgment has been added to the social doctrine of the Church, which applies the underlying principles of its moral doctrine to concrete situations in society. The underlying moral principles have not changed, but, in Pope Francis’s judgment, society has changed in a way that requires a different application of them.

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Very reasonable.