TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops
Catholic Social Teaching today opposes torture (no matter what it is labeled) in the treatment of any detained or imprisoned person. For the Church is convinced that every human person bears a God-given dignity; respect for that dignity must always be present. The Church also is careful to point out that torture is illegal, prohibited under international law. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church says: The prohibition against torture ’cannot be contravened under any circumstances” (No 404)
In the Catechism (No. 1931) says “Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that ‘everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as ‘another self’, above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity”.
Pope Benedict XVI in Sacramentum Caritatis said “Precisely because of the mystery we celebrate [in the Eucharist], we must denounce situations contrary to human dignity, since Christ shed his blood for all.”
In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” by the US Bishops intrinsically evil actions also are direct assaults on human life and violations of human dignity, such as genocide, torture, racism and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, can never be justified.
Pope John Paul II in The Gospel of Life says ”Jesus has a unique relationship with every person, which enables us to see in every human face the face of Christ.” (No. 81). He also says, “even an enemy ceases to be an enemy for the person who is obliged to love him” and to do good to him; the height of such love, is “to pray for one’s enemy.” (No. 41)
Who is encompassed by the words “every human person”? Is anyone left out?
People who are unkind to us personally?
People who cause harm within society?
People who are violent?
People who are considered enemies of our nation?
People who are prisoners of our nation’s effort to combat terrorism?
Cardinal Roger Mahony spoke to Regis University in September 2003 and he related a story that had been circulated after the September 11th attacks. A boy asks his grandfather how he was doing after the attacks and the grandfather responds to him, “I have two wolves within me. The first is the wolf of anger, vengeance and hatred. It is saddened by the tremendous loss of life and wants to respond to the perpetrators in kind. The other one is the wolf of reconciliation. It too understands the horror of what happened. It sees the children who have lost parents, the friends who have lost loved ones, and the fear and anxiety it created in peoples’ lives. The grandson asks, “Which wolf will prevail”? The grandfather replies” The one that I feed, my son.”
What wolf do I feed inside me? What is Jesus asking us to do in the Beatitudes?
www.usccb.org Torture
www.tassc.org (Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition)