| | :::::''The recent attempt to portray the Catholic Church as being against the death penalty is the result of a liberal movement inside and particularly outside the Church.'' No it's not. The words ''"It is clear that, for these purposes to be achieved, the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except 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 improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent."'' are not the words of a liberal theologian and most decidedly not from outside the church. They are the words of Pope John Paul II [http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0141/__PP.HTM], sourced not from a "liberal" website but from the Official Vatican Website. I don't know whether your claim that "(i)t can't withstand logic" refers to the claims that the Church is against the death penalty or to being against the death penalty ''per se''. If the former then the claim is clearly incorrect. If the latter then the Church not only disagrees with your conclusion but with the basis of that conclusion: "If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person". The Church believes that keeping a murderer in jail '''is''' preferable from a spiritual persapective. [[User:PNeville|PNeville]] 07:23, 26 May 2009 (EDT) | | :::::''The recent attempt to portray the Catholic Church as being against the death penalty is the result of a liberal movement inside and particularly outside the Church.'' No it's not. The words ''"It is clear that, for these purposes to be achieved, the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except 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 improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent."'' are not the words of a liberal theologian and most decidedly not from outside the church. They are the words of Pope John Paul II [http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0141/__PP.HTM], sourced not from a "liberal" website but from the Official Vatican Website. I don't know whether your claim that "(i)t can't withstand logic" refers to the claims that the Church is against the death penalty or to being against the death penalty ''per se''. If the former then the claim is clearly incorrect. If the latter then the Church not only disagrees with your conclusion but with the basis of that conclusion: "If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person". The Church believes that keeping a murderer in jail '''is''' preferable from a spiritual persapective. [[User:PNeville|PNeville]] 07:23, 26 May 2009 (EDT) |
| | + | : You cite a statement of political opinion, akin to citing statements by a Pope against a particular war or a proposal by a Pope for the future of the Middle East. Such statements are the result of ongoing discussion about issues and can reflect pressure exerted on the Church by liberals. In this case, the statement was probably not written by the Pope himself, it does not address 2000 years of the opposite view of the Church, and it marks the beginning of discussion rather than the end of it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:17, 26 May 2009 (EDT) |