Two U.S. Catholic professors who authored what many consider to be a rigorous defense of Catholic teaching on capital punishment say that Pope Francis’ new teaching on the subject appears to be “contradicting scripture, tradition, and all previous popes.” And, he may be “committing a doctrinal error.” [More]"May be"?
I've given up on illusions that the guy is merely wrong.
I will confess I have mixed feelings on the matter -- not because I feel sorry for monsters, but because any power the state can use against one person it can use against me and mine, and the folks in charge just don't impress me as being all that trustworthy with ultimate power.
[Via Mack H]
"I will confess I have mixed feelings on the matter ..."
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you're saying; my point is that Francis appears to indict ALL killing, even in personal self-defense.
Ann Barnhardt details in a list of 32 questions why Benedict XVI is STILL the only legitimate Pope and Bergolio is an antipope: https://www.barnhardt.biz/2017/01/16/cutting-the-crap-31-questions-and-blunt-answers-about-the-catholic-church-and-antipope-bergoglio/
ReplyDelete-MM
Well, David you DO raise an interesting point. However, when one looks below the surface to your objection (that innocents can/will be slaughtered) theviolation of due process does not make the death of the innocent right... it merely changes what THEY would deem an "execution" into murder, the teking of an innocent's life.
ReplyDeleteIf the civil magistrate refuses to "bear the sword against thsoe who do harm", as is their God-established dUTY, then chaos results... which is well on its way amongst us. Cops standing down and permitting rioting, arson, even murder, in the riots. Knwon murdersrs (LaVoy Finicum's murders, those two OSP offficers who shot him, Waco, Ruby Ridge, )not being prosecuted, innocents being charged wiht murder, (Ryan in Wisconsin) looters being watched and not detained, then we have chaos, and not rule of law OR justice.
One of the reasons God decrees capital punishment when approproate is that such a person, with murder whtinin his heart, is a danger to all.... and must be removed. With capital punishment vigourously implemented (UPON fair trial with ALL evidence weighed by a comeotent jury of the murderer's peers) the rate of recidivism falls to zero. (WHY should the rest of us innocents be charged $50K per year to warehouse a man who is not able to be trusted, even with a custodian, roaming about freely in public?) Further, the certainty of one's own death when one takes the life of an innocent wilfully is a great deterrent. Hmmm.. maybe its in MY best interests to NOT kill the dirtbag, else I will soon follow him off this dirtball and into eternity.
Yes, our present form of "justice" desparately needs overhauled.
One more comment.. biblical law on such things mandates the shedding of the blood of a murderer, unto death. However, there IS an oft-forgotten qualification.. the guilt of the murderer MUST be established on the tstimpy of at LEAST two competent witnesses WHO HAVE CLEAN HANDS. In other words, they have not been murdereres themsevels, nor crominals of another sort.
Tionico