Pope St. John Paul II favored the abolition of capital punishment. However, the catechism he promulgated nevertheless taught that the death penalty can be legitimate “if this is the only possible way of effectively defending […]
While all sensible and faithful Catholics ought to be grateful that the worst fears of many about the Synod were not realized, there are still several elements of the Final Document that require comment and […]
Six Catholic scholars and commentators reflect on the Holy Father’s recent and controversial revision to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. […]
Whether human dignity is upheld if we allow no executions remains an open question. As Plato intimated, a case for the execution of certain criminals […]
I regard the liceity of the death penalty as having been established with infallible certitude by the Church’s ordinary magisterium. […]
We can reaffirm that state executions are not intrinsically evil, even while we join Pope Francis in working toward the abolition of their social application. […]
What we appear to have on our hands is a case of interpretive undecidability. […]
The historical record is less consistent than many suppose and it does not, in fact, support the claim that the Church has committed itself irreformably […]
The new text on capital punishment seems to require Catholics to substitute this Pope’s judgment on this subject for their own. […]
Heaven is indeed our final goal – the Church Triumphant. We need to keep our eyes fixed on that goal. […]
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