Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

729.0. "Veritatis Splendor -- The Splendor of Truth" by COVERT::COVERT (John R. Covert) Mon Sep 27 1993 19:58

From Time magazine:

 Pope John Paul II will not be led into temptation, and if his latest and most
important encyclical has its way, he hopes to deliver his church from evil.
For years the Pontiff has been aware that contemporary liberal morality has
deeply influenced the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church's
980 million members. And he will have none of it. In his 179-page Veritatis
Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), he argues that good is clearly distinct
from evil, that morality is not situational, that right is right and wrong is
really wrong, and that the church's teachings will truly set believers free.
Among the evils the Pope sees at work in the world are genocide, torture and
slavery. But he also includes matters of overwhelming concern to American
Catholics: euthanasia, contraception, artificial insemination, homosexual
acts, masturbation, premarital sex and abortion.

 While John Paul's list of social and sexual malevolences comes as no
surprise, the sweeping nature of his condemnation as well as his demand of
obedience are certain to send tremors through the ranks of the church's
liberal wing. (The encyclical is due for release Oct. 5, but several advance
copies were circulating to the press last week.) There were rumors that the
document would be couched in terms of papal infallibility, making opposition
impermissible. While that has not turned out to be the case, dissent is
virtually forbidden. ``Opposition to the teaching of the church's pastors
cannot be seen as a legitimate expression either of Christian freedom or of
the diversity of the Spirit's gifts,'' writes John Paul. ``It is prohibited
-- to everyone and in every case -- to violate these precepts. They oblige
everyone, regardless of the cost.''

 ``You want to know what the Pope does in the evenings?'' asks a
middle-ranking member of the Vatican bureaucracy. ``This is what he does. He
thinks about these things.'' Six years ago, the Pontiff announced his
intention to set down in encyclical form his reflections on the nature of
good and evil. Encyclicals are authoritative declarations of the church's
teaching, warnings of new problems, and guides to parishes across the world.
John Paul's task seemed so daunting to some and so useless to others that the
Pope was the unwilling recipient of almost constant, contradictory advice
from the moment he began work on it.

 Two years ago, a draft was circulated to a select group of theological
philosophers for comment, with the understanding that the Pontiff thought his
work was nearly completed. The draft caused so much internal -- and not
always well-concealed -- debate that the Pope took it back and overhauled it.
Of the final product, a Vatican insider says, ``What he has written is a
masterpiece. But it is far too dense to be transmitted to most people.''

 Indeed, encyclicals are never page turners, and the Pontiff, a philosopher
and onetime professor, tosses around such celestial concepts as ``fundamental
option,'' ``invincible ignorance,'' ``teleology'' and ``consequentialism.''
John Paul also peppers his paper with 184 footnotes, citing for instance the
Second Vatican Council, the new Catechism of the Catholic Church (as yet
unavailable in English) and Thomas Aquinas, the medieval saint who defined
the concept of natural law. The grand finale is a hymn to the Virgin Mary.

 Still, the point is clear enough. The heart of the matter is freedom.
According to some strains of liberal thought, the individual's reason and
conscience must have freedom in determining, for example, whether it is moral
to have an abortion, use contraception or tell a lie. John Paul replies that
true freedom must be united with moral truth, truth as reflected in a natural
law that is evident to everyone and defined in detail by the Bible and church
tradition. Otherwise, he says, each individual conscience becomes supreme --
he even uses the word infallible. And in the clash of infallibilities, moral
confusion reigns. Only absolute morality, argues the Pope, provides the basis
for the democratic equality of all citizens, with common rights and duties
and without ``privileges or exceptions.'' In short, only when people hold to
the same standards of good and evil can they be free and equal.

 John Paul makes a glancing reference to the eternal perdition that could
await moral miscreants and outlines a tightening up of his earthly ranks. The
encyclical directs all theologians to display ``a loyal assent, both internal
and external,'' as they discuss morals. And he rails against the ``carefully
orchestrated protests and polemics carried on in the media'' that undercut
church policies.

 But just how will the Pope, the Vatican and the hierarchy around the world
enforce these policies? Says the Pope: ``The church's pastors have the duty
to act in conformity with their apostolic mission, insisting that the right
of the faithful to receive Catholic doctrine in its purity and integrity must
always be respected.'' That may be vague enough to keep a semblance of peace
in John Paul's immense and diverse church, but it will not drown out the
controversies.

        An English translation of "Veritatis Splendor", the recent
        encyclical letter of Pope John Paul II, may be found in:

        nrsta2""::user05:[fleischer.distrib]john-paul-2-veritatis-splendor.txt

        This was copied from the Catholic Resource Network, available
        through CompuServe via GO CRNET.

        This electronic form is copyrighted by Trinity Communications
        with apparently the only restriction being that "this file
        may not be sold".

        Bob