Say no to torture, USCCB committee chair urges
June 09, 2016
Recalling the teaching of St. John Paul II on torture, the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace expressed concern about recent political discourse.
“We still hear some advocate for waterboarding and ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ (a euphemism for torture) as a way of extracting information,” Bishop Oscar Cantú wrote on a blog associated with the bishops’ conference.
“In the current environment of fear, we do well to remember Catholic teaching,” he added. “It tells us that torture is always wrong.”
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Jun. 10, 2016 10:53 AM ET USA
I guess the question revolves around the definition of torture. Is rubbing pig skin on an adherent of Islam torture? Is playing loud music 24/7 torture? Is the beating of recruits with rubber hoses in a dark room as one of the disciplinary measures used in "motivation platoon" torture? Are the barking dogs cited by Bishop Cantu in his article torture? Is the type of fighting in a war that causes "tortured nightmares" torture? Is working in a cubical 40+ hours per week torture? Define torture.
