Evangelium Vitae
Encyclopedia
Evangelium Vitae is the name of the encyclical
written by Pope John Paul II
which expresses the position of the Catholic Church
regarding the value and inviolability of human life. The Pope issued the encyclical on March 25, 1995.
Beginning with an overview of threats to human life both past and present, the encyclical gives a brief history of the many Biblical
prohibitions against killing. The encyclical then addresses specific actions in light of these passages, including abortion
(quoting Tertullian
, who called abortion "anticipated murder to prevent someone from being born"), and euthanasia
(which John Paul II calls "a disturbing perversion of mercy"). The encyclical also condemns the use of the death penalty in the world today, since the only potentially acceptable use of the death penalty (according to John Paul II and the magisterium) is when it would not otherwise be possible to defend society, a situation that--according to the encyclical--is rare if not non-existent today (§ 56).
The encyclical then addresses social and ecological factors, stressing the importance of a society which is built around the family rather than a wish to improve efficiency, and emphasizing the duty
to care for the poor and the sick.
The encyclical also deals with the proper uses of sex and the implementation of knowledge on adolescent teens of these behaviors.
:
The second, in Evangelium Vitae §§ 58, 61-62, concerns abortion
:
(Evangelium Vitae, §§ 58, 61-62)
The third, in Evangelium Vitae § 65, concerns euthanasia
:
With respect to abortion, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the teaching is "unchangeable":
Finally, the Evangelium Vitae also deals with capital punishment:
In this encyclical, the Pope states that "execution is only appropriate in cases of absolute necessity, in other words when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society." However, in today's society, with the improvement of the penal system these cases are very rare. The purpose of punishment is "to redress the disorder caused by the offense." The nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully examined and should not go to the extreme except in cases in which it is required. The Catechism states "If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means ...because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person." This is saying that if society is able to contain a person who has committed a crime, then there is really no need to put this person to death. This is especially true if the person is able to convert while his time in prison.
A majority of Catholic theologians agree that these teachings on the immorality of murder, directly willed abortion, and euthanasia are infallible. According to these Catholic theologians, these four teachings are not examples of papal infallibility
, but are examples of the infallibility of the ordinary and universal Magisterium
. In other words, Pope John Paul II was not exercising papal infallibility in this encyclical, but he was stating that these doctrines have already been taught infallibly by the bishops of the Catholic Church throughout history.
Theologians and church leaders who have expressed this point of view include:
Before writing Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II surveyed every Catholic bishop in the world asking whether they agreed that murder, directly willed abortion, and euthanasia were immoral, and they all agreed that they were. To make this connection clear, the pope concluded each of these passages in Evangelium Vitae with a reference to the "ordinary and universal magisterium" and a footnote that cited Lumen Gentium
§ 25.
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
written by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
which expresses the position of the Catholic Church
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
regarding the value and inviolability of human life. The Pope issued the encyclical on March 25, 1995.
Summary
"Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God."Beginning with an overview of threats to human life both past and present, the encyclical gives a brief history of the many Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
prohibitions against killing. The encyclical then addresses specific actions in light of these passages, including abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
(quoting Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
, who called abortion "anticipated murder to prevent someone from being born"), and euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
(which John Paul II calls "a disturbing perversion of mercy"). The encyclical also condemns the use of the death penalty in the world today, since the only potentially acceptable use of the death penalty (according to John Paul II and the magisterium) is when it would not otherwise be possible to defend society, a situation that--according to the encyclical--is rare if not non-existent today (§ 56).
The encyclical then addresses social and ecological factors, stressing the importance of a society which is built around the family rather than a wish to improve efficiency, and emphasizing the duty
Duty
Duty is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment to someone or something. The moral commitment is the sort that results in action and it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition...
to care for the poor and the sick.
The encyclical also deals with the proper uses of sex and the implementation of knowledge on adolescent teens of these behaviors.
Authoritative Status
The first passage, in Evangelium Vitae § 57, concerns murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
:
-
- Therefore, by the authority which ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
conferred upon PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.
- Therefore, by the authority which Christ
The second, in Evangelium Vitae §§ 58, 61-62, concerns abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
:
-
- 58. Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime." (citing Gaudium et SpesGaudium et SpesGaudium et Spes , the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, was one of the four Apostolic Constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council...
, 51.) . . .
- 58. Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime." (citing Gaudium et Spes
-
- 61. The texts of Sacred Scripture never address the question of deliberate abortion and so do not directly and specifically condemn it. But they show such great respect for the human being in the mother's womb that they require as a logical consequence that God's commandment "You shall not kill" be extended to the unborn child as well. . . . Christian Tradition -- as the Declaration issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith points out so well -- is clear and unanimous, from the beginning up to our own day, in describing abortion as a particularly grave moral disorder. . . .
-
- 62. Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the Church, Paul VIPope Paul VIPaul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
was able to declare that this tradition [regarding abortion] is unchanged and unchangeable. Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops -- who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine -- I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.
- 62. Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the Church, Paul VI
(Evangelium Vitae, §§ 58, 61-62)
The third, in Evangelium Vitae § 65, concerns euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
:
-
- .... in harmony with the Magisterium of my Predecessors and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. (Evangelium Vitae, § 65)
With respect to abortion, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the teaching is "unchangeable":
-
- 2271. Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.
Finally, the Evangelium Vitae also deals with capital punishment:
In this encyclical, the Pope states that "execution is only appropriate in cases of absolute necessity, in other words when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society." However, in today's society, with the improvement of the penal system these cases are very rare. The purpose of punishment is "to redress the disorder caused by the offense." The nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully examined and should not go to the extreme except in cases in which it is required. The Catechism states "If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means ...because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person." This is saying that if society is able to contain a person who has committed a crime, then there is really no need to put this person to death. This is especially true if the person is able to convert while his time in prison.
A majority of Catholic theologians agree that these teachings on the immorality of murder, directly willed abortion, and euthanasia are infallible. According to these Catholic theologians, these four teachings are not examples of papal infallibility
Papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error when in his official capacity he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals...
, but are examples of the infallibility of the ordinary and universal Magisterium
Infallibility of the Church
The Infallibility of the Church is the belief that the Holy Spirit will not allow the Church to err in its belief or teaching under certain circumstances...
. In other words, Pope John Paul II was not exercising papal infallibility in this encyclical, but he was stating that these doctrines have already been taught infallibly by the bishops of the Catholic Church throughout history.
Theologians and church leaders who have expressed this point of view include:
- According to Catholic theology, a teaching of the "ordinary and universal magisterium" is infallible if it is taught by all bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s dispersed throughout the world, as long as they all teach it in a definitive and authoritative manner.
-
- Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they nevertheless proclaim Christ's doctrine infallibly whenever, even though dispersed through the world, but still maintaining the bond of communion among themselves and with the successor of Peter, and authentically teaching matters of faith and morals, they are in agreement on one position as definitively to be held.(Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican CouncilThe Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, Lumen GentiumLumen GentiumLumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. This dogmatic constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,151 to 5...
§ 25).
- Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they nevertheless proclaim Christ's doctrine infallibly whenever, even though dispersed through the world, but still maintaining the bond of communion among themselves and with the successor of Peter, and authentically teaching matters of faith and morals, they are in agreement on one position as definitively to be held.(Second Vatican Council
Before writing Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II surveyed every Catholic bishop in the world asking whether they agreed that murder, directly willed abortion, and euthanasia were immoral, and they all agreed that they were. To make this connection clear, the pope concluded each of these passages in Evangelium Vitae with a reference to the "ordinary and universal magisterium" and a footnote that cited Lumen Gentium
Lumen Gentium
Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. This dogmatic constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,151 to 5...
§ 25.
- The Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithCongregation for the Doctrine of the FaithThe Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
stated that these teachings in Evangelium Vitae are infallible in its "Commentary on the Concluding Formula of the Professio Fidei", published 6/29/1998 and signed by Cardinal RatzingerPope Benedict XVIBenedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone.
- The current Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, William LevadaWilliam LevadaWilliam Joseph Levada is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2005, he has served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, making him the highest ranking American in the Roman Curia. He was previously the Archbishop of Portland from 1986 to 1995 and...
, wrote in 1995 that Evangelium Vitaes teaching regarding abortion was an infallible teaching of the ordinary magisterium.
- Among the Catholic theologians who have written about infallibility, nearly all agree that these three statements constitute infallible teaching. These theologians include "liberals" (Richard Gaillardetz, Hermann Pottmeyer), "moderates" (Francis A. SullivanFrancis A. SullivanFrancis Aloysius Sullivan, S.J. is an American Catholic theologian and a Jesuit priest. He is best known for his research in the area of ecclesiology and the magisterium.- Early Life and Jesuit Formation :...
), and "conservatives" (Mark Lowery, Lawrence J. Welch).
External links
Further reading
- "The Doctrinal Weight of Evangelium Vitae", Francis A. SullivanFrancis A. SullivanFrancis Aloysius Sullivan, S.J. is an American Catholic theologian and a Jesuit priest. He is best known for his research in the area of ecclesiology and the magisterium.- Early Life and Jesuit Formation :...
, S.J., Theological Studies, v. 56, n. 3 (Sept. 1995), pp. 560-565.