Religion & Law

Like Rick, I am not sure what a Vatican II?type politician, including the President, is. I think the rich teachings of the Church give us ample material from which the correct portrait of the public official who follows right reason emerges. When it comes to some of the pressing issues of the day, this element of the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (N. 27) provides essential attributes:

Furthermore, whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia or wilful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are supreme dishonor to the Creator.

It would seem that this authoritative guidance of a Vatican II?type person applies to anyone, be one the holder of public office or the private citizen. It is hard to imagine how anyone who advocates abortion ?rights? or ?death-with-dignity? (i.e., euthanasia) could be considered a Vatican II?type politician.

RJA sj