Download The Sanctity of Life: A Roman Catholic Perspective Background

The Sanctity of Life: A Roman Catholic Perspective
Background Statement to the West Virginia Council of Churches
Prepared by Mrs. Rebecca L. Royse, MS
Coordinator of Marriage and Family Life
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
Process
The Roman Catholic Church’s current position on the sanctity of life can be traced back through
Scripture and Tradition over the past two-thousand years. As scientific advancements in
technologies and methods evolve, the teaching of the Church on the sanctity of life continues to
be developed. This development occurs in continuity with the teachings of the past and seeks not
to change the teachings but to either apply them to a new technology or to provide a deeper
understanding. These teachings can be found in Sacred Scripture, in documents written and
promulgated by Pontiffs and Councils, and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
In the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes), the Fathers
of the Second Vatican Council stated: “The Church, the Community of those who have been
brought together by the Risen Christ…is the sign and the safeguard of the transcendent
dimension of the human person.” In a speech at Villanova University in March 2008, Bishop
Michael J. Bransfield echoed this truth: “The vision of the Church has always looked beyond the
market and into the inherent dignity and value of all people…That prophetic role requires
speaking truth to power and the courage to speak with the certainty of faith when others waver.”
Foundational Sources
Scripture
As believers in Jesus Christ, our understanding of the sanctity of life is rooted in Scripture, the
inspired word of God delivered to us for all time. While a line-by-line reading of Scripture can
certainly create an illusion of inconsistency, reading the Old and New Testaments in light of one
another and through the lens of Tradition, will clarify the consistent message of life being sacred
and a gift from God – in all stages and at all times.
Genesis 1: 26, 27, 31 – Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. God
created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.”
Exodus 23:7 – “The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.”
Psalm 95:6 – “Enter, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us.”
Psalm 119:73 – “Your hands made me and fashioned me.”
Psalm 139:13 – “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.”
Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”
Matthew 5:39 – “But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes
you on your right check, turn the other one to him as well.”
Matthew 25:40 – ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for these least brothers of mine, you did
for me.’
Matthew 26:52 – “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by
the sword.”
Mark 8:34 – ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow
me.’
Luke 1:44 – “For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my
womb leaped for joy.”
Tradition
In addition to the message of Scripture, the Roman Catholic Church depends on the Tradition
passed down through centuries through the popes and the bishops. These teachings are
communicated to Catholics through a variety of sources, including papal encyclicals, apostolic
exhortations, council documents, and pastoral letters. In addition, the Catechism of the Catholic
Church is the most recent, comprehensive document outlining the teachings of the Catholic
Church.
Didache – “You shall not kill the embryo by abortion, you shall not cause the newborn to
perish.”
Evangelim Vitae (The Gospel of Life, Pope Saint John Paul II) – “Nothing and no one can in any
way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an
adult, an older person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying.
Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for
another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or
implicitly. Nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action.”
Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis) – “Precisely because this involves the
internal consistency of our message about the value of the human person, the church cannot be
expected to change her position on this question…It is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve
problems by eliminating a human life.”
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, 5 – “Discovering that they are loved
by God, people come to understand their own transcendent dignity; they learn not to be satisfied
with only themselves but to encounter their neighbor in a network of relationships that are ever
more authentically human.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 364 – “The human body shares in the dignity of “the
image of God”: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is
the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.”
CCC 2258 – “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of
God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God
alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance
claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.”
CCC 2267 – “Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully
determined, 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
aggressor. If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety
from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with
the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the
human person…Today…the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity
“are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”
CCC 2270 – “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of
conception.”
CCC 2324 – “Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely
contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his
Creator.”
Reflection
The Roman Catholic Church upholds the sanctity and dignity of each human life from the
moment of conception to natural death. There is no need for the person to prove any worth; their
existence provides their worth and demands respect for their life - whether a child in the womb, a
disabled adult, an impoverished father, an ailing grandparent, or any other member of the human
race. Believers in Jesus Christ and his Gospel are faced with a world moving towards a concept
of human dignity that is based on usefulness, on what one can do for another, rather than on a
concept of human dignity that is based purely on the being of the person. It requires faith and
courage to proclaim a message of life and of dignity that often involves asking one to embrace
suffering and to be set apart from the ‘norm’. The message that is being presented is that all
suffering is bad and that it should be avoided at all costs. This is in direct contrast to the message
of the Cross that tells us suffering is fruitful and leads to our salvation and to the salvation of
souls. A message of life is always a message of hope, even in the face of great trial, for it is in
Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that we find our ultimate hope and everlasting
life.
For each individual issue, one most not lose sight of this main theme: each life is sacred. The
quotes above specifically address the three issues of interest for this dialogue: abortion,
euthanasia, and capital punishment. Regarding abortion and euthanasia, the Tradition of the
Church clearly and unequivocally states that neither is ever to be committed. Those at the
beginning of life and at the end of life are in their most fragile state, most dependent on others to
protect them and to preserve their dignity. They are often unable to speak for themselves. The
presentation given to the Council of Churches retreat will include addressing the difficult
situations – such as a woman impregnated by a rapist and a person on life support. These
situations demand care and charity, and respect for each individual life involved in each case.
These are issues on which the Catholic Church has spoken definitively: under neither
circumstance is the taking of human life justified. In our manner of relaying that message, and in
understanding the underlying meaning, we find the true depth and breadth of the call to respect
the sanctity and dignity of all life. Capital punishment will also be discussed, with a particular
reference to the evolution of Catholic doctrine whereby the Church’s traditional defense of
capital punishment has been modified by changed societal circumstances, to the extent that it is
now almost impossible to justify. For many Catholics (and, indeed, non-Catholics) this may
seem, at first, like an inconsistency. When examined more closely, however, the continuity
becomes clear.
Concluding Statement
I respectfully submit this document to you, the members of the Council of Churches and
Judicatory heads. These issues are not issues to be treated lightly, as they provide much of the
basis for how we, as Christians, interact with secular society. I acknowledge the weight of the
topics treated here and look forward to spending time in prayer and growing the body of Christ
as we discuss them.