What the Church says

Fr Michael Chua shared the Church’s stand from biblical times to Pope Francis’ view on the matter.

While the Ten Commandments, particularly the fifth – “Thou shall not kill,” is often the first thought that comes to mind when Christians deliberate this topic, Fr Chua said, to discuss the morality of killing, we must first look at the story of the creation of mankind in the Book of Genesis.

“God creates man but, unlike other inanimate objects, He gives man the gift of life, and not just life which animates, as in all forms of flora and fauna, but an immortal soul. In other words, God singularly confers an aspect of His divine eternal life on man, and this is what makes our lives sacred. We are not just some stardust as some poets and songs would claim. We are gifted with something divine. This is what the Church calls the sanctity of life,” he said.

“Catholic Christians, therefore, believe that all human life is sacred from conception until natural death, and that the taking of innocent human life, whether born or unborn, is morally wrong. Note our constant opposition to both abortion and euthanasia. The Church teaches, ‘Human life is sacred because, from its beginning, it involves the creative action of God and 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 circumstances, claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being’ (Donum Vitae, 5; CCC 2258).

“Since life is sacred and there is an absolute injunction against destroying the life of an innocent human being, how is this enforceable?”

Earlier this year, Pope Francis made a revision to paragraph 2267 of the Catechism, which St Pope John Paul II had amended in 1997 to strengthen scepticism about the death penalty’s use in the modern world and to emphasise the importance of protecting human life. St Pope John Paul II strongly opposed the use of capital punishment and called for Christians to be ‘unconditionally pro-life.’

The new paragraph reads: ‘Recourse to the death penalty on the part of the legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.’ Fr Chua said, “Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of severe crimes.

Also, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, does not deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online