Zenit News Agency, 19 Nov. 1999:  John Paul II expressed the Church's position on (the death penalty) with clarity during his last visit to the United States in January1999. "Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform¹ (cf. Evangelium vitae, n. 27).²  I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel³ and unnecessary⁴."

...However, Archbishop Martino believes that the battle against the death penalty is not lost. "The defenders of life must never be discouraged. The right to life is the principal right, fundamental to every human being.⁵ How can we give it up? It is necessary to join forces and spend time to convince and sensitize the rest of the world to go forward. There are many countries which are abolitionist in fact, even though their laws allow the death penalty -- they haven't applied it for years. It is necessary to sensitize these countries so that they will be totally committed to the defense of life." ZE99111906

NOTE:  It is unfortunate that Archbishop Martino does not have equal fervor for sensitizing countries to total commitment for the defense of innocent unborn human life. Few if any bishops personally and repeatedly preach against the evils of abortion but many make public proclamations to defend murderers against the death penalty.

• Jesus clearly said that there must be violence, "When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but it will not yet be the end." [Mark 13:7] All war is violent but is seen by Jesus as necessary in the promotion of salvation. Justifiable defense is mandatory in protection of the innocent. Only cowardly people without faith avoid activated justice. The unseen deaths of hundreds of millions in the womb and test tubes are more horrible in the sight of God than the possible millions of adult deaths resulting from just wars.

• The foregoing is not defending life, it is care for and the prolongation of life. Activities that unnaturally extend life can be offensive to God when done for selfish reasons.
  • "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." [Luke 9:24]  –  To risk one's life for the sake of the innocent (unborn) who have not had the opportunity to establish a relationship with God must be seen as meritorious.
  • "If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." [Luke 14:26]
  • "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it." [Luke 17:33]
  • "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life." [John 12:25]
  • "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." [John 15:13]  ––  Are the unborn friends or enemies?  Are abortionists and associates friends or enemies?  Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samson, David and Elijah all killed enemies of God and God's people.  Were they friends or enemies of God?

Allowing herself to be guided by the example of Jesus the "Good Samaritan" (cf. Lk. 10:29-37) and upheld by his strength, the Church has always been in the front line in providing charitable help so many of her sons and daughters, especially men and women Religious, in traditional and ever new forms, have consecrated and continue to consecrate their lives to God, freely giving of themselves out of love for their neighbour, especially for the weak and needy. These deeds strengthen the bases of the "civilization of love and life", without which the life of individuals and of society itself loses its most genuinely human quality. Even if they go unnoticed and remain hidden to most people, faith assures us that the Father "who sees in secret" (Mt 6:6) not only will reward these actions but already here and now makes them produce lasting fruit for the good of all.

COMMENT:  Abortion and euthanasia are acts of murder. Health care and working with the weak and needy are acts of charity. To equate acts of charity and acts of murder as though they were a common ground in relation to justice is ludicrous.

³  What is cruel is the death of an innocent person often following the instilling of intense fear, degradation, and at times torture not to mention the unjust suffering of family members and friends.
⁴  What God has determined to be necessary no man should call unnecessary.
⁵  The words, "every human being" should have read, "every innocent human being" as those guilty of deliberate murder have forfeited their right to life.

Excerpted from the current Code of Canon Law, approved by Pope John Paul II:

The Teaching Office of the Church
Can. 747 § 1 It is the obligation and inherent right of the Church, independent of any human authority, to preach the Gospel to all peoples, using for this purpose even its own means of social communication; for it is to the Church that Christ the Lord entrusted the deposit of faith, so that by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, it might conscientiously guard revealed truth, more intimately penetrate it, and faithfully proclaim and expound it.
§2 The Church has the right always and everywhere to proclaim moral principles, even in respect of the social order, and to make judgements about any human matter in so far as this is required by fundamental human rights –(right to be born alive)– or the salvation of souls. –(Moral executions are temporal examples of God's divine justice concerning the unsaved.)

Can. 748 §1 All are bound to seek the truth in the matters which concern God and his Church; when they have found it, then by divine law they are bound, and they have the right, to embrace and keep it.
§2 It is never lawful for anyone to force others to embrace the catholic faith against their conscience.

Can. 749 §1 In virtue of his office the Supreme Pontiff is infallible in his teaching when, as chief Shepherd and Teacher of all Christ's faithful, with the duty of strengthening his brethren in the faith, he proclaims by definitive act a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals.
§2 The College of Bishops also possesses infallibility in its teaching when the Bishops (the pope is chief bishop), gathered together in an Ecumenical Council and exercising their magisterium as teachers and judges of faith and morals, definitively declare for the universal Church a doctrine to be held concerning faith or morals; likewise, when the Bishops, dispersed throughout the world but maintaining the bond of union among themselves and with the successor of Peter, together with the same Roman Pontiff authentically teach matters of faith or morals, and are agreed that a particular teaching is definitively to be held.
§3 No doctrine is understood to be infallibly defined unless this is manifestly demonstrated.

Can. 750 Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal magisterium, which is manifested by the common adherence of Christ's faithful under the guidance of the sacred magisterium. All are therefore bound to shun any contrary doctrines.

Can. 751 Heresy is the obstinate denial or doubt, after baptism, of a truth which must be believed by divine and catholic faith. Apostasy is the total repudiation of the christian faith. Schism is the withdrawal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or from communion with the members of the Church subject to him.

Father David C. Trosch
29 November 1999

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