·
SUMMARY, VERITATIS SPLENDOR,
( Pope S.Juan Pablo II
Enciclical)
Summary[edit]
Veritatis
splendor responds to questions of moral theology that
had been raised during the postconciliar period of the Church (events after
the Vatican II ecumenical council of
1962-65). These questions revolve around man's ability to discern good, the
existence of evil, the role of human freedom and human conscience, mortal sin, and the authority of the magisterium of the Catholic Church in
guiding man. In response to these, Pope John Paul II emphatically says that
moral truth is knowable, that the choice of good or evil has a profound effect
on one's relationship with God, and that there is no true contradiction between
freedom and following the good. Veritatis splendor consists of
three chapters: (I) Teacher, What Good Must I Do; (II) Do Not Be Conformed to
this World; and (III) Lest the Cross of Christ be Emptied of its Power.
Response to moral relativism[edit]
Veritatis
splendor begins by asserting that there are indeed
absolute truths accessible to all persons. Contrary to the philosophy of moral relativism, the encyclical says that
moral law is universal across people in varying cultures, and is in fact rooted
in the human condition. Pope John Paul teaches that no matter how separated
someone is from God, "in the depths of his heart there always remains a
yearning for absolute truth and a thirst to attain full knowledge of
it." [6] He
goes on to say that the splendor of truth "shines forth deep within the
human spirit." [7]
Moral authority of the Catholic Church[edit]
Ultimately,
John Paul teaches, "to ask about the good, in fact, ultimately means to
turn towards God, the fullness of goodness." Against the idea that the
Church's teaching body has a mainly exhortatory role, the pope reiterates the
Catholic doctrine that the magisterium of the Catholic Church has authority to
definitively pronounce on moral questions. Even more, John Paul teaches that
the Church is Christ's particular response to help answer everyone's question
of what is right and wrong...
Human freedom and divine law[edit]
John
Paul teaches that there is no true conflict between human freedom and God's
law. The true end of human freedom is growth as a mature person into how each
is created by God. Furthermore, God's divine law governing human behavior is
not opposed to human freedom, but rather "it protects and promotes that
freedom."
The
encyclical affirms that today's respect for human freedom represents
one of the positive achievements of modern culture." However, he cautions,
though it is good, human freedom is not in itself an absolute. Merely deciding
for oneself that one may do something is not at all a true substitute for
determining whether something is in fact good or bad. Because God is the true
author of good, it remains of critical importance to understand how the divine
Law, as expressed by the authoritative magisterium of the Church, considers an
issue before determining absolutely for oneself.
Natural law[edit]
The
pope welcomes and supports the role of human reason in discovering and applying
the natural law (those aspects of the moral law that may be discovered without
divine revelation). Nevertheless, because God remains the true author of moral
law, he states that human reason will not properly supersede the elements of
the moral law that are of divine origin—the encyclical states that this
"would be the death of true freedom." In particular, John Paul denies
those ideas of morality that treat the human body as a "raw datum, separating
man and how he uses his body from his greater meaning derived from the entirety
of his person.
The judgment of conscience[edit]
John
Paul reiterates the longstanding Catholic teaching that people are obliged to
follow their conscience, and that if
they do not, they are condemned by their own conscience.
He
depicts conscience as an inner dialogue. However, he says, it is not merely a
dialogue of man with himself, but also one between man and God. Following Bonaventure, John Paul compares conscience to
a divine messenger which proclaims God's divine law. Contrary to its
presentation elsewhere, John Paul states that conscience does not substitute
the divine law. Rather, it is the process by which man applies that law to the
moral dilemma at hand.
Veritatis
splendor states that because the judgment of the
conscience may be errant, a person has an obligation to ensure that their
conscience is informed always and everywhere. Hence, it is necessary to
understand what the divine law, as expressed through Church teaching, is and
the reasons behind it. Even if a person does not possess a guilty conscience
for committing a morally wrong act, its commission causes damage to the soul in
other ways, and, if habitual, can inhibit a person from perceiving truth. John
Paul goes so far as to say that habitual sin enslaves man and so following a
wrong judgment of conscience is in the end a step away from freedom.
The "fundamental option", sin, and
salvation[edit]
The
encyclical also responds to the idea of the "fundamental option." In
this way of thinking, a man's particular actions do not necessarily affect his
ultimate salvation—what is important is his fundamental orientation towards or
against God. The pope writes:
"There
is no doubt that Christian moral teaching, even in its Biblical roots,
acknowledges the specific importance of a fundamental choice which qualifies
the moral life and engages freedom on a radical level before God. It is a
question of the decision of faith, of the obedience of faith (cf. Rom 16:26)
"by which man makes a total and free self-commitment to God, offering 'the
full submission of intellect and will to God as he reveals' "."[8]
John
Paul firmly opposes the theological assertion that such a fundamental choice
can be separated from particular actions, stating that it is contrary to
Scripture as well as to long-held Catholic teaching on sin and salvation. He
also opposes it on philosophical grounds, writing, "To separate the
fundamental option from concrete kinds of behaviour means to contradict the
substantial integrity or personal unity of the moral agent in his body and in
his soul."
John
Paul emphasizes that the "fundamental option" view undermines the
traditional Catholic understanding on mortal sin and venial sin, their distinction, and effects:
"For mortal sin exists also when a person knowingly and willingly, for
whatever reason, chooses something gravely disordered.... The person turns away
from God and loses charity."
Reality of intrinsically evil acts[edit]
The
encyclical also says that certain acts are intrinsically evil. In the language
of Catholic moral theology, this means that certain acts are always wrong, and
that there are never circumstances in which they may be permitted if done
knowingly and intentionally. Stated another way, this is a strong support for
the long-held doctrine of Catholic moral theology that "the ends do not
justify the means." John Paul bases this on the argument that certain acts
are so destructive to the human person that there are no extenuating
circumstances that would allow them. As an example, John Paul specifically mentions
the teaching of Pope Paul VI on
contraception, which stipulates that although it is permissible to tolerate a
lesser evil to prevent a greater one, or to promote a greater good, it is never
permissible, even in the gravest of circumstances to intentionally do an evil
so that good may come of it. Or in other words it is never permissible to
intend directly something which contradicts a moral order. This reiterates Paul
VI's teaching on contraception, and that if an act is intrinsically evil, a
good intention or particular circumstances can diminish their evil, but they
cannot remove it.
Possibility of obeying the commandments[edit]
John
Paul teaches that man can and must respect the norm of morality even in the
most difficult situations: "Temptations can be overcome, sins can be avoided,
because together with the commandments the Lord gives us the possibility of
keeping them."[9] He
rejected the proposition that the Church's teaching is essentially only an
"ideal" which must then be adapted to each case.[10]
