While people once even used religious reasons to justify practices such as slavery, the death penalty and "wars of religion," over time the Holy Spirit has deepened the church's understanding of the Gospel, the Pope said on May 11 in his homily during morning Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae.
Slavery "is a mortal sin; today we say this. Back then, some would say that this could be done because these people did not have a soul!" he said. The number of people enslaved today is "even more, but at least we know that it is a mortal sin. The same goes for the death penalty; for a time, it was normal. Today, we say that the death penalty is inadmissible."
In several previous posts (which I find I must refer to repeatedly since the subject seems to re-emerge every few months or so), I pointed out that the legitimacy and morality of the death penalty has been defended by the Church consistently from the days of the Early Fathers.
Popes, in modern times up to and including the Pontificate of Benedict XVI have been clear and constant in the declaration that, when used with due prudence and diligence and with the assurance that the due process of law has been observed, a Catholic can support the imposition of the death penalty with a clear conscience, with no fear of incurring any moral or ecclesiastical sanction.
Pope Francis, however, chooses to speak of the death penalty in sound bites, with no nuance to his statements whatsoever.
Of course, the problem is that, whether intentional or not, declaring that support of the death penalty a “mortal sin" is designed to not hear the opposing point of view which is more consistent with the Church’s traditional teaching than the utterances of Francis.
Moreover, any person with semblance of intelligence and discernment will admit that the death penalty can be and has been used indiscriminately by oppressive regimes against dissenting voices and political opponents. But, no one of good faith and sound reason would begin to suggest that such a use of the death penalty is anything but a grave moral evil.
Yet Pope Francis’ non-nuanced denunciation of the death penalty as an objective moral evil organically creates reflexive responses on both sides, designed more to drown out any opposing perspective than to ascertain authentic Catholic teaching.
But, sweeping statements seem to be the norm these days everywhere you turn.
How quickly the Pope’s historical memory of Church teaching fails as he seeks to emphasize (perhaps to the point of oversimplification) his favorite theme of God’s abiding Mercy.
The fact is some issues are more complex and require a systematic explanation and not just a 10 second sound bite which will appear on the evening cable news networks or internet blogs.
It becomes so much easier to label someone anti-life or to suggest that support for the death penalty is immoral than to have the prevailing assumptions of the moment challenged.
Catholics have every right to demand answers from those entrusted with the teaching authority and governance of the Church.
Instead, it seems we are made to feel that we must digest increasing amounts of insipid intellectual pabulum, which we are led to believe somehow will provide the nutrients necessary to maintain our good standing in the modern Church.
In 1986, I was honored to be part of a delegation of Canon Lawyers invited by the Vatican to attend a series meetings with various Curial Congregation officials in an effort to inspire and encourage dialogue between the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The most memorable part of that experience was the privilege of having the opportunity of con-celebrating Holy Mass with Pope St. John Paul II at his regular morning Mass.
At the time, I found it most curious that the Holy Father did not preach after the proclamation of the Gospel. Rather, he invited us all to take a moment to quietly reflect upon the Scripture and make application of its lesson to our daily lives and ministries.
Again, the Pope’s silence surprised me at the time. Now, I understand that he was more clever and shrewd than I could have imagined.
In a age of instant communication, oftentimes unfiltered and unchecked for accuracy, perhaps a little silence on the part of Pope Francis might go a long way in dispelling some of the disquieting things he says which are oftentimes off the cuff remarks rather than systematically developed and constructed doctrinal proclamations.
Still, I am so encouraged by the spirit of warmth and affection which is the essence of this Pontificate.
I continue to pray for His Holiness everyday and encourage all those I can to do the same.
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