Q. Until recently the Catechism of the
Catholic Church said that capital punishment was acceptable under some circumstances.
Now it says that the death penalty is inadmissible. Therefore, if the teaching
was wrong before, then it may be wrong now. (Woodbridge, Va.)
A. It is true that the position of the Catholic Church against
the use of the death penalty has been strengthened because of a textual change
in the Catechism of the Catholic Church announced by Pope Francis in August
2018.
Previously the catechism had read: "The traditional teaching
of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the
only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust
aggression" (No. 2267). (The same section was quick to point out, though,
that the cases which warranted the execution of the offender in today's society
were "very rare, if not practically nonexistent.")
The new catechism text authorized by Pope Francis, however, will
speak even more absolutely and will now read, "The church teaches, in the
light of the Gospel, 'that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an
attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,' and she works with
determination for its abolition worldwide."
The church's moral teaching has been developed and refined over
time, as is evident from its positions on slavery and on usury (charging
interest on loans). The new text of the catechism will itself explain the
thinking behind the revision, pointing out that: "Today … there is an
increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the
commission of very serious crimes.
"In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the
significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective
systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of
citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the
possibility of redemption."
Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at
askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, New York 12203.