AMORIS LAETITIA: SOME PERSONAL REFLECTIONS: PART FOUR

In the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes), the Council Fathers of Vatican II define conscience "as man's most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths. By conscience, in a wonderful way, that law is made known which is fulfilled in the love of God and one's neighbor" (16).

The Council adds, "Through loyalty to conscience, Christians are joined to other men in the search for truth and for the right solution to so many moral problems that arise both in the life of individuals and from social relationships. Hence, the more a correct conscience  prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by the objective standards of moral conduct". (16)

In yet another document,  the Declaration on Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae), the Vatican Council II teaches that "It is through his conscience that man sees and recognizes the demands of the divine law. He is bound to follow this conscience faithfully in all his activity, so that he may come to God, who is his last end. Therefore he must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters" (3).   

The document states further:  ". . . (I)n forming their consciences, the faithful must pay careful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church. For the Catholic Church is, by the will of Christ, the teacher of truth. It is her duty to proclaim and teach with authority the truth which is Christ and, at the same time, to declare and confirm by her authority the principles of the moral order which spring from human nature" (14).

And so, any discussion of moral principles and the assignment of culpability must always reference the Church’s obligation to assist in the formation of conscience all the while understanding its proper role and always mindful of the respect which must be paid to the judgments it makes. 

The Church is obliged to teach the truth of Christ and the principles of morality which spring from human nature and natural law.  Conscience is obliged to accept and recognize these teachings and apply them in judging the rightness or wrongness of a particular choice to be made.

This has been and remains the consistent moral teaching of the Church that has been affirmed repeatedly by what the Church has taught about conscience at the highest level of magisterial authority.

I suggest that Reader pause to read and re-read this post as it is essential to the considerations and reflections which will follow.  For that reason, I have made this particular post so very brief.

We shall consider the implications of these principles in Part Five tomorrow.