General
On human dignity and the death penalty
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 […]
development of doctrine
General
Development, not deviation: Evaluating Francis’ modification on the death penalty
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. […]
General
Capital punishment: Intrinsically evil or morally permissible?
What we appear to have on our hands is a case of interpretive undecidability. […]
General
Some questions for defenders of capital punishment
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 […]
General
Catechism changes demand the impossible
The new text on capital punishment seems to require Catholics to substitute this Pope’s judgment on this subject for their own. […]
Features
Douthat-Faggioli debate highlights two key, contested issues of Francis’ pontificate
Two major issues—the meaning and significance of Vatican II and the doctrinal implications of AL’s moral logic of pastoral reasoning—will continue to present the Church […]
Analysis
Pope Francis, the Lérinian legacy of Vatican II, and capital punishment
I’m sure there are other reasons, but at least for these three reasons I think that Pope Francis cannot provide a Lérinian justification of the […]