Catechism of the Catholic Church
Share this paragraph of the Catechism:
Paragraph:
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, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically non-existent." 68
Move forward or back a paragraph: Previous | Next
Where this paragraph appears in the Catechism:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 |
» |
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST |
|
» |
SECTION TWO: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS |
|
» |
CHAPTER TWO: YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
|
|
» |
I. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE |
Notes for the above paragraph:
68 John Paul II, Evangelium vitae 56.
English Translation of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.
