The Catholic Teaching
The Catholic Church believes that life is sacred, thus the Church opposes the death penalty. This is evident throughout the teachings of Jesus that are focused on forgiveness, love and mercy. Within the Catechism, Pope John Paul II's encyclical and scriptures, it is clearly demonstrated that the Church promotes life and does not believe that capital punishment is the moral thing to do to any human being.
Within the Catechism, the fifth commandment states, "Thou shall not kill". This commandment means that the intention of bringing out a person's death or direct and intentional killings are considered sinful. As Catholics, we are called to follow the commandment of not committing the sin of killing and respect human life, regardless of the crime the accused has committed. By sending the accused to their death, one is contributing in the sin, which is disobeying the fifth commandment.
Though many U.S. Catholics support the death penalty, Pope John Paul II states the Catholic views of the death penalty in his encyclical titled, "Evangelium Vitae". Within the pontiff's encyclical, he wrote that is only expectable, "in cases of absolute necessity, in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today, however, as a result of steady immprovement in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically nonexistent". Within this quotation from his encyclical, he describes how the church's views have changed on the death penalty and he now believes that modern society has the means of protecting itself. Though many people believe that criminals who commit such serious crimes can never be "fixed", Pope John Paul II believes that every single human being should have the chance to reform. Within the encyclical, he also states that we should look to solve our social problems for answers and not always turn to the death penalty for justice.
Found within the Bible in John 8:1-11, Jesus forgives and saves a woman from being stoned by men after committing adultery. Jesus later forgives the woman for the sin she committed when she asks for forgiveness. This is a very powerful example because it shows how Jesus can forgive those who have sinned. This example goes hand-in-hand with the Catholic teachings because it demonstrates that all life is considered equal, regardless of the sins they have made. Though Jesus could have left the woman to die because of the sin she made, he forgave her, which demonstrated the mercy had for the woman.
Therefore, through the Catechism, Pope John Paul II's encyclical and scriptures, the Catholic Church is promoting that life is a gift from God that should be sacred and not ended because they demonstrate a risk on society. The Church believes that since society today has the ability to protect itself, criminals should have a chance to be forgiven and try to change because capital punishment is not the moral thing to do.
Within the Catechism, the fifth commandment states, "Thou shall not kill". This commandment means that the intention of bringing out a person's death or direct and intentional killings are considered sinful. As Catholics, we are called to follow the commandment of not committing the sin of killing and respect human life, regardless of the crime the accused has committed. By sending the accused to their death, one is contributing in the sin, which is disobeying the fifth commandment.
Though many U.S. Catholics support the death penalty, Pope John Paul II states the Catholic views of the death penalty in his encyclical titled, "Evangelium Vitae". Within the pontiff's encyclical, he wrote that is only expectable, "in cases of absolute necessity, in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today, however, as a result of steady immprovement in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically nonexistent". Within this quotation from his encyclical, he describes how the church's views have changed on the death penalty and he now believes that modern society has the means of protecting itself. Though many people believe that criminals who commit such serious crimes can never be "fixed", Pope John Paul II believes that every single human being should have the chance to reform. Within the encyclical, he also states that we should look to solve our social problems for answers and not always turn to the death penalty for justice.
Found within the Bible in John 8:1-11, Jesus forgives and saves a woman from being stoned by men after committing adultery. Jesus later forgives the woman for the sin she committed when she asks for forgiveness. This is a very powerful example because it shows how Jesus can forgive those who have sinned. This example goes hand-in-hand with the Catholic teachings because it demonstrates that all life is considered equal, regardless of the sins they have made. Though Jesus could have left the woman to die because of the sin she made, he forgave her, which demonstrated the mercy had for the woman.
Therefore, through the Catechism, Pope John Paul II's encyclical and scriptures, the Catholic Church is promoting that life is a gift from God that should be sacred and not ended because they demonstrate a risk on society. The Church believes that since society today has the ability to protect itself, criminals should have a chance to be forgiven and try to change because capital punishment is not the moral thing to do.
what if?
Have you ever wondered what society would look like if we as a whole responded to what the Catholic Church teaches? When a criminal has been convicted of committing a crime, should we kill them? The answer is no. As Catholic's we are called to love and forgive one another for their actions and sins. As active Catholics, when someone has committed a terrible crime, if they ask for forgiveness, we should respect their apology and forgive him. By showing society that death is not always the solution, we can all come together and love each other with dignity. Having mercy for sinners will allow our social structure to be altered in a positive direction. By showing love, compassion and forgiveness to those who ask for it, it will help us become closer to God. With the ability to forgive and show mercy, we are giving the person another chance to become a better human being and learn from their mistakes that set them back in life. For the people that have committed terrible crimes, we would show mercy and forgiveness and also give them a second chance at life without relying on the death penalty as a way to serve justice. Though they will have to serve their sentence in prison, we, as Catholics, are giving the accused a second chance at life and try to make moral decisions in the future. Ultimately, this would allow many people to become closer to one another and make moral decisions that will achieve the common good.