Thursday, October 20, 2005

The emergence of the death penalty as a central issue in the Virginia governor's race raises the question of how the Catholic faith of candidate Tim Kaine might affect his performance in office.

The short answer: That's up to Kaine.

'The church teaching is very consistently supportive of all human life, from womb to tomb,' said Steve Neill, editor of the Catholic Virginian newspaper and spokesman for the Diocese of Richmond.

But people in public office make a promise to uphold the law, and that's what Kaine says he will do if elected governor. Though he has said he personally opposes the death penalty, he vows in a TV ad to carry out Virginia law, including signing death warrants.

...

When Catholic public officials make decisions not in keeping with church teachings, 'It doesn't make them less loyal to their church,' Neill said."

But, beloved son, in this present matter of which we are speaking, there is even a greater danger and a more manifest opposition to Catholic doctrine and discipline in that opinion of the lovers of novelty, according to which they hold such liberty should be allowed in the Church, that her supervision and watchfulness being in some sense lessened, allowance be granted the faithful, each one to follow out more freely the leading of his own mind and the trend of his own proper activity. They are of opinion that such liberty has its counterpart in the newly given civil freedom which is now the right and the foundation of almost every secular state.

In the apostolic letters concerning the constitution of states, addressed by us to the bishops of the whole Church, we discussed this point at length; and there set forth the difference existing between the Church, which is a divine society, and all other social human organizations which depend simply on free will and choice of men.

Q: In regard to two topics -- the death penalty and the just war -- is it possible that there will be a certain evolution in their treatment as compared to 1992?

Cardinal Ratzinger: In fact, on the question of the death penalty, there was a notable evolution between the first edition of the 1992 Catechism and its typical edition in Latin, published in 1997.

The substance remained identical, but the structure of the arguments was developed in a restrictive sense. I do not exclude the fact that on these topics there might be variations in the type of argumentations and in the proportions of the different aspects of the problems. I would exclude radical changes, however.

Christians have a "grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it"

posted by Shaun Kenney | 10/20/2005 11:29:00 AM | 0 comments

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