History of the Catholic Church on the Death Penalty - Research Paper Example

?History of the Catholic Church on the Death Penalty and how it changed over time In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, God commanded that “Thou shalt not kill” (6th Commandment, Exodus 20:2-17 NKJV) yet in the same text, it is also stated that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This seemingly opposing view on death on the Holy Bible can also be reflected on the Catholic Church’s view on death penalty and how it changed over time. From a Church that supports death penalty and even administers it, it now has become a bulwark and bastion of life as it advocate for the abolishment of the death penalty and a deeper respect for the human life. In the early days of Christianity, death penalty however was favored by the Church as asserted by St. Augustine. During Catholicism’s infancy, it was viewed as a way of deterring the commission of sins and a means to protect the innocent from the wicked. Thomas Aquinas during the Middle Age upheld this view on the death penalty that the state does only have the right, but is also duty bound to protect its flock from its enemies both from within and without the Church (Book 3, Chapter 146). At that time, it was thought that dispensing such punishment is not a sin for it is the justice of God that is being carried out. Such, it is only proper then that by removing evil from society will preserve the good. Such that, evil men that undermines and is an impediment of the common good should be removed from the society of men through death. Many passages of the Holy Bible were used to justify this early position of the Catholic Church on the death penalty. While it was commanded that “thou shall not commit murder”, it was argued in I Peter (2, 13-14) that thou should “be subjected therefore to every human creature for God's sake: whether to be on the king as excelling, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of good”. In addition, during the Middle Age, the Catholic Church did not only support death penalty but also became a judge to dispense the penalty. There was a time that it carried its own verdict by administering the death penalty itself through the Inquisition. The most common form administering the death penalty was burning at the stake. During the same time, especially on the First Crusade in 1095, the Catholic Church, through Pope Urban II implied the penalty of death penalty to non-Christians when it encouraged the retaking of the Holy Land by force. As a result, Jews and Muslims alike were killed in the process for being non-Catholics. Death penalty was also used as a political weapon against its dissenters on its colony especially in the South East Asia. At the time when Spain invaded through the use of the Cross and Sword an unknown island in East known today as the Philippines (after King Philip of Spain), death penalty was used against those who call for secession from Spain. For more than 300 years (1565-1898), the death penalty was used against political enemy by pressuring the Governor General who then ruled the archipelago But circumstances and time change and so did the position of the Catholic Church on the death penalty. Despite of its previous position on the death penalty, the Catholic Church is now one of the most fervent advocates of the abolition of the death penalty. Whilst before it find necessary to remove the wicked to protect the innocent through death, it now calls for a deeper respect for the human life and that position even transcended even to the unborn. Recent position of the Catholic Church about death penalty changed to the abrogation of the death penalty. One of the Church’s recent Pope who was vocal against the imposition of death penalty was Karol Wojtila or Pope John Paul II. “During his tenure, the news media devoted substantial, even inordinate, attention to John Paul’s pronouncements on abortion, divorce, gay rights, the death penalty, euthanasia, human cloning, and other controversial topics” (Mulligan, 2006). ”The Holy See has consistently sought the abolition of the death penalty and his Holiness Pope John Paul II has personally and indiscriminately appealed on numerous occasions in order that such sentences should be commuted to a lesser punishment, which may offer time and incentive for the reform of the guilty, hope to the innocent and safeguard the well-being of civil society itself and of those individuals who through no choice of theirs have become deeply involved in the fate of those condemed to death” (Declaration of the Holy See, 2001). In its recent view, the Catholic Church reversed it interpretation on the penalty of the wages of sin. It now view death as “that after this infliction, men went at one to heaven would become an insult to God’s government” (Anon., 2011). It now calls for a deeper respect for the human life by calling on the abolishment of the death penalty (Martino, 2009). Its recent teachings are now more consistent on the teachings of Jesus Christ to focus on love, reconciliation and mercy. It is no longer the vindictive Church of old that has a clenched fist. Rather, it exhorts that death penalty is not compatible with the Christian belief and called on for a deeper respect against human life. It also became tolerant with other Faiths that there are now news that Catholics are working together with the Moslems which was unthinkable before and is calling for greater cooperation than persecution. As of today, the Catholic Church is already known as the bastion and bulwark of life whose religious pronouncements and policy calls on magnanimity instead of a capital punishment. In fact, in one of its pastoral address, the Catholic Church has called on the Catholics not to participate in any manner of taking a man’s life be it mandated by the state. The Catholic Church may have weakened its clout on state policy and reduced the number of its flock. Man’s religious fervor may have diminished with the passing of time as he is now more immersed in the material world, yet the shelter that can feed the soul is becoming more relevant as it now stood on the position of life and its sanctity that no man, even as mandated by the state, should take the life of another. References: Anon., (2011). What is the penalty of God’s moral law? Online. Available at Retrieved on September 26, 2011 Anon., (2011). Sermons on Gospel Themes. Online. Available at . Retrieved on September 26, 2011 DECLARATION OF THE HOLY SEE TO THE FIRST WORLD CONGRESS ON THE DEATH PENALTY. Strasbourg, 21 June 2001. H.E. Archbishop Renato R. Martino (1999). Intervention by Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations before the Third Committee of the 54th Session of the General Assembly on Item 116A. New York. Online. Available at . Retrieved on September 26, 2011) Pope John Paul II and Catholic Opinion Toward the Death Penalty and Abortion. By: Mulligan, Kenneth. Social Science Quarterly (Blackwell Publishing Limited), Sep2006, Vol. 87 Issue 3 The Holy Bible. The New King James Version Thomas Aquinas (1264). Summa Contra Gentiles. Read More