From the Wanderer, March 11, 2010.
"Morning's Minion at the popular, orthodox Catholic website, Vox Nova, demanded that the U.S bishops...remind Catholics that those who justify torture should refrain from receiving Holy Communion, under Canon 915. Criticizing a program on EWTN called "The World Over," and its host Raymond Arroyo, Morning's Minion wrote about a particular episode which hosted Marc Thiessen, who identifies himself as a practicing Catholic, and attempts to justify torture.
'I think the analogy is clear. Arroyo and Thiessen are both public figures, and Arroyo in particular is a TV personality on a Catholic TV channel, making the scandal all the more grave. They are clearly 'obstinately persevering' in support of an intrinsically evil act. Worse, they actually try to justify it on Catholic grounds. Thiessen has made it his life's work to claim that some forms of torture are virtuous...The Church's teachings on torture could not be clearer. Torture was condemned by the Second Vatican council in Gaudium et Spes, which declared:
'Furthermore, whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful 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...all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed.'"
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Hear Hear! I am a bit shocked to hear that EWTN would attempt to justify torture, but I wonder if the justifying was more done by Thiessen and less by EWTN.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is no justification, ever.
I bet EWTN Will come out with a rebuttal, I'm interested in what they will say.
The excellent quote sited shows that torture involves a complete hatred and/or total indifference toward the intrinsic worth of the persons involved. That which is truly merciless cannot be tolerated by Catholics.
ReplyDeleteI think EWTN should be a little more careful about what their commentators are saying and justifying.
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