ARTICLE 5 - THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not kill.[54]
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You
shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to
judgment."
But I say to you that every one who is angry with his
brother shall be liable to judgment.[55]
2258 "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of
God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end.
God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any
circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human
being."[56]
I. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE
The witness of sacred history
2259 In the account of Abel's murder by his brother Cain,[57] Scripture reveals the
presence of anger and envy in man, consequences of original sin, from the beginning of
human history. Man has become the enemy of his fellow man. God declares the
wickedness of this fratricide: "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is
crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has
opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand."[58]
2260 The covenant between God and mankind is interwoven with reminders of God's
gift of human life and man's murderous violence:
For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning.... Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.[59]
The Old Testament always considered blood a sacred sign of life.[60] This teaching
remains necessary for all time.
2261 Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: "Do not
slay the innocent and the righteous."[61] The deliberate murder of an innocent person is
gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the
holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and
everyone, always and everywhere.
2262 In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not
kill,"[62] and adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further,
Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies.[63] He did not
defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath.[64]
Legitimate defense
2263 The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the
prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The
act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and the
killing of the aggressor.... The one is intended, the other is not."[65]
2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is
legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is
not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas
if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful.... Nor is it necessary for
salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other
man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.[65]
2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is
responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an
unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who
legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the
civil community entrusted to their responsability.[66]
Capital Punishment
2266 The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behaviour harmful to people’s rights
and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the
common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and the duty to inflict
punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim
of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the
guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending
public order and protecting people’s safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it
must contribute to the correction of the guilty party.[67]
2267 Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully
determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the
death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against
the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from
the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with
the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity
of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively
preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing
harm — without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself
— the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very
rare, if not practically non-existent. [NT]
Intentional homicide
2268 The fifth commandment forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. The
murderer and those who cooperate voluntarily in murder commit a sin that cries out to
heaven for vengeance.[68]
Infanticide,[69] fratricide, parricide, and the murder of a spouse are especially grave
crimes by reason of the natural bonds which they break. Concern for eugenics or public
health cannot justify any murder, even if commanded by public authority.
2269 The fifth commandment forbids doing anything with the intention of indirectly
bringing about a person's death. The moral law prohibits exposing someone to mortal
danger without grave reason, as well as refusing assistance to a person in danger.
The acceptance by human society of murderous famines, without efforts to remedy
them, is a scandalous injustice and a grave offense. Those whose usurious and
avaricious dealings lead to the hunger and death of their brethren in the human family
indirectly commit homicide, which is imputable to them.[70]
Unintentional killing is not morally imputable. But one is not exonerated from grave
offense if, without proportionate reasons, he has acted in a way that brings about
someone's death, even without the intention to do so.
Abortion
2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of
conception.
From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having
the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to
life.[71]
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated
you.[72]
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately
wrought in the depths of the earth.[73]
2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured
abortion.
This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.
Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely
contrary to the moral law:
You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to
perish.[74]
God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and
men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves.
Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion
and infanticide are abominable crimes.[75]
2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense.
The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against
human life.
"A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae
sententiae,"[76] "by the very commission of the offense,"[77] and subject to the
conditions provided by Canon Law.[78]
The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy.
Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done
to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.
2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive
element of a civil society and its legislation:
"The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society
and the political authority.
These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they
represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and
are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his
origin.
Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's
right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death."[79]
"The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection
which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all
before the law.
When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and
in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are
undermined....
As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn
child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal
sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights."[80]
2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be
defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human
being.
Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, "if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and
the human fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual....
It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly
inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the
equivalent of a death sentence."[81]
2275 "One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which
respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for
it, but are directed toward its healing the improvement of its condition of health, or its
individual survival."[82]
"It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable
biological material."[83]
"Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic
but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other
predetermined qualities.
Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his
integrity and identity"[84] which are unique and unrepeatable.
Euthanasia
2276 Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or
handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible.
2277 Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the
lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons.
It is morally unacceptable.
Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to
eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human
person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.
The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature
of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.
2278 Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary,
or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of "overzealous"
treatment.
Here one does not will to cause death; one's inability to impede it is merely accepted.
The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by
those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate
interests must always be respected.
2279 Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot
be legitimately interrupted.
The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of
shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not
willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable
Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity.
As such it should be encouraged.
Suicide
2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him.
It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life.
We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of
our souls.
We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us.
It is not ours to dispose of.
2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and
perpetuate his life.
It is gravely contrary to the just love of self.
It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with
family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations.
Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the
young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal.
Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or
torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.
2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their
own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary
repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.
II. RESPECT FOR THE DIGNITY OF PERSONS
Respect for the souls of others: scandal
2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who
gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may
even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or
omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.
2285 Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause
it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this
curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be
better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in
the depth of the sea."[85] Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office
are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on
this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing.[86]
2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.
Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to
the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice, or to "social conditions
that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the
Commandments difficult and practically impossible."[87] This is also true of business
leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to
anger,[88] or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values.
2287 Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do
wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or
indirectly encouraged. "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom
they come!"[89]
Respect for health
2288 Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God.
We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the
common good.
Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of
living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing,
housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance.
2289 If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute
value.
It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice
everything for it's sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports.
By its selective preference of the strong over the weak, such a conception can lead to
the perversion of human relationships.
2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of
food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a
love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.
2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use,
except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and
trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil,
since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.
Respect for the person and scientific research
2292 Scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on human individuals or groups
can contribute to healing the sick and the advancement of public health.
2293 Basic scientific research, as well as applied research, is a significant expression of
man's dominion over creation. Science and technology are precious resources when
placed at the service of man and promote his integral development for the benefit of all.
By themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human
progress. Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin
and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of
their purpose and awareness of their limits.
2294 It is an illusion to claim moral neutrality in scientific research and its applications.
On the other hand, guiding principles cannot be inferred from simple technical
efficiency, or from the usefulness accruing to some at the expense of others or, even
worse, from prevailing ideologies. Science and technology by their very nature require
unconditional respect for fundamental moral criteria. They must be at the service of the
human person, of his inalienable rights, of his true and integral good, in conformity with
the plan and the will of God.
2295 Research or experimentation on the human being cannot legitimate acts that are in
themselves contrary to the dignity of persons and to the moral law. The subjects'
potential consent does not justify such acts. Experimentation on human beings is not
morally legitimate if it exposes the subject's life or physical and psychological integrity to
disproportionate or avoidable risks. Experimentation on human beings does not
conform to the dignity of the person if it takes place without the informed consent of
the subject or those who legitimately speak for him.
2296 Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and
psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good that is
sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is
to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if
the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally
admissible directly to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being,
even in order to delay the death of other persons.
It is furthermore morally inadmissible directly to bring about the disabling mutilation or
death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.
Respect for bodily integrity
2297 Kidnapping and hostage taking bring on a reign of terror; by means of threats they
subject their victims to intolerable pressures. They are morally wrong. Terrorism
threatens, wounds and kills indiscriminately; it is gravely against justice and charity.
Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty,
frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for
human dignity. Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly
intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons
are against the moral law.[90]
2298 In times past, cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to
maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the Church, who
themselves adopted in their own tribunals the prescriptions of Roman law concerning
torture. Regrettable as these facts are, the Church always taught the duty of clemency
and mercy. She forbade clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that
these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in conformity with the
legitimate rights of the human person. On the contrary, these practices led to ones even
more degrading. It is necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims
and their tormentors.
Respect for the dead
2299 The dying should be given attention and care to help them live their last moments
in dignity and peace. They will be helped by the prayer of their relatives, who must see to
it that the sick receive at the proper time the sacraments that prepare them to meet the
living God.
2300 The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope
of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy;[91] it honors the
children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.
2301 Autopsies can be morally permitted for legal inquests or scientific research. The
free gift of organs after death is legitimate and can be meritorious.
The Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith
in the resurrection of the body.[92]
III. SAFEGUARDING PEACE
Peace
2302 By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill,"[93] our Lord asked for peace
of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral.
Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who
should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct
vices and maintain justice."[94] If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or
seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says,
"Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."[95]
2303 Deliberate hatred is contrary to charity. Hatred of the neighbor is a sin when one
deliberately wishes him evil. Hatred of the neighbor is a grave sin when one deliberately
desires him grave harm. "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."[96]
2304 Respect for and development of human life require peace. Peace is not merely the
absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between
adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of
persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and
peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is "the tranquillity of order."[97]
Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity.[98]
2305 Earthly peace is the image and fruit of the peace of Christ, the messianic "Prince of
Peace."[99] By the blood of his Cross, "in his own person he killed the hostility,"[100] he
reconciled men with God and made his Church the sacrament of the unity of the human
race and of its union with God. "He is our peace."[101] He has declared: "Blessed are
the peacemakers."[102]
2306 Those who renounce violence and bloodshed and, in order to safeguard human
rights, make use of those means of defense available to the weakest, bear witness to
evangelical charity, provided they do so without harming the rights and obligations of
other men and societies. They bear legitimate witness to the gravity of the physical and
moral risks of recourse to violence, with all its destruction and death.[103]
Avoiding war
2307 The fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction of human life. Because
of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone
to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient
bondage of war.[104]
2308 All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war.
However, "as long as the danger of war persists and there is no international authority
with the necessary competence and power, governments cannot be denied the right of
lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed."[105]
2309 The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous
consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of
moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:
- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be
lasting, grave, and certain;
- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or
ineffective;
- there must be serious prospects of success;
- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be
eliminated. The power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in
evaluating this condition.
These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine.
The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential
judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.
2310 Public authorities, in this case, have the right and duty to impose on citizens the
obligations necessary for national defense.
Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the
security and freedom of nations. If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly
contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace.[106]
2311 Public authorities should make equitable provision for those who for reasons of
conscience refuse to bear arms; these are nonetheless obliged to serve the human
community in some other way.[107]
2312 The Church and human reason both assert the permanent validity of the moral law
during armed conflict. "The mere fact that war has regrettably broken out does not
mean that everything becomes licit between the warring parties."[108]
2313 Non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be respected and treated
humanely.
Actions deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are
crimes, as are the orders that command such actions. Blind obedience does not suffice
to excuse those who carry them out. Thus the extermination of a people, nation, or
ethnic minority must be condemned as a mortal sin. One is morally bound to resist
orders that command genocide.
2314 "Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast
areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and
unequivocal condemnation."[109] A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the
opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic,
biological, or chemical weapons - to commit such crimes.
2315 The accumulation of arms strikes many as a paradoxically suitable way of deterring
potential adversaries from war. They see it as the most effective means of ensuring peace
among nations. This method of deterrence gives rise to strong moral reservations. The
arms race does not ensure peace. Far from eliminating the causes of war, it risks
aggravating them. Spending enormous sums to produce ever new types of weapons
impedes efforts to aid needy populations;[110] it thwarts the development of peoples.
Over-armament multiplies reasons for conflict and increases the danger of escalation.
2316 The production and the sale of arms affect the common good of nations and of
the international community. Hence public authorities have the right and duty to
regulate them. The short-term pursuit of private or collective interests cannot legitimate
undertakings that promote violence and conflict among nations and compromise the
international juridical order.
2317 Injustice, excessive economic or social inequalities, envy, distrust, and pride raging
among men and nations constantly threaten peace and cause wars. Everything done to
overcome these disorders contributes to building up peace and avoiding war:
Insofar as men are sinners, the threat of war hangs over them and will so continue until
Christ comes again; but insofar as they can vanquish sin by coming together in charity,
violence itself will be vanquished and these words will be fulfilled: "they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."[111]
IN BRIEF
2318 "In [God's] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind" (Job 12:10).
2319 Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person
has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God.
2320 The murder of a human being is gravely contrary to the dignity of the person and the holiness of the
Creator.
2321 The prohibition of murder does not abrogate the right to render an unjust aggressor unable to
inflict harm. Legitimate defense is a grave duty for whoever is responsible for the lives of others or the
common good.
2322 From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an
end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice (GS 27 # 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church
imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life.
2323 Because it should be treated as a person from conception, the embryo must be defended in its
integrity, cared for, and healed like every other human being.
2324 Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the
dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.
2325 Suicide is seriously contrary to justice, hope, and charity. It is forbidden by the fifth commandment.
2326 Scandal is a grave offense when by deed or omission it deliberately leads others to sin gravely.
2327 Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we must do everything reasonably
possible to avoid it. The Church prays: "From famine, pestilence, and war, O Lord, deliver us."
2328 The Church and human reason assert the permanent validity of the moral law during armed
conflicts. Practices deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes.
2329 "The arms race is one of the greatest curses on the human race and the harm it inflicts on the poor
is more than can be endured" (GS 81 # 3).
2330 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Mt 5:9).
ARTICLE 6 - THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not commit adultery.[112]
You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit
adultery."
But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman
lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.[113]
I. "MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM . .
."
2331 "God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion.
Creating the human race in his own image . . .. God inscribed in the humanity of man
and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and
communion."[114]
"God created man in his own image . . . male and female he created them";[115] He
blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply";[116] "When God created man, he
made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them
and named them Man when they were created."[117]
2332 Sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul.
It especially concerns affectivity, the capacity to love and to procreate, and in a more
general way the aptitude for forming bonds of communion with others.
2333 Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity.
Physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the
goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of
society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual
support between the sexes are lived out.
2334 "In creating men 'male and female,' God gives man and woman an equal personal
dignity."[118] "Man is a person, man and woman equally so, since both were created in
the image and likeness of the personal God."[119]
2335 Each of the two sexes is an image of the power and tenderness of God, with equal
dignity though in a different way. The union of man and woman in marriage is a way of
imitating in the flesh the Creator's generosity and fecundity: "Therefore a man leaves his
father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh."[120] All
human generations proceed from this union.[121]
2336 Jesus came to restore creation to the purity of its origins. In the Sermon on the
Mount, he interprets God's plan strictly: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not
commit adultery.' But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has
already committed adultery with her in his heart."[122] What God has joined together,
let not man put asunder.[123]
The tradition of the Church has understood the sixth commandment as encompassing
the whole of human sexuality.
II. THE VOCATION TO CHASTITY
2337 Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus
the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's
belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly
human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the
complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman.
The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality
of the gift.
The integrity of the person
2338 The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed in
him. This integrity ensures the unity of the person; it is opposed to any behavior that
would impair it. It tolerates neither a double life nor duplicity in speech.[124]
2339 Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human
freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he
lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.[125] "Man's dignity therefore
requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal
way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint.
Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses
forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill,
effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end."[126]
2340 Whoever wants to remain faithful to his baptismal promises and resist temptations
will want to adopt the means for doing so: self-knowledge, practice of an ascesis adapted
to the situations that confront him, obedience to God's commandments, exercise of the
moral virtues, and fidelity to prayer. "Indeed it is through chastity that we are gathered
together and led back to the unity from which we were fragmented into
multiplicity."[127]
2341 The virtue of chastity comes under the cardinal virtue of temperance, which seeks
to permeate the passions and appetites of the senses with reason.
2342 Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once
and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life.[128] The effort required
can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is being formed
during childhood and adolescence.
2343 Chastity has laws of growth which progress through stages marked by imperfection
and too often by sin. "Man . . . day by day builds himself up through his many free
decisions; and so he knows, loves, and accomplishes moral good by stages of
growth."[129]
2344 Chastity represents an eminently personal task; it also involves a cultural effort, for
there is "an interdependence between personal betterment and the improvement of
society."[130] Chastity presupposes respect for the rights of the person, in particular the
right to receive information and an education that respect the moral and spiritual
dimensions of human life.
2345 Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual
effort.[131] The Holy Spirit enables one whom the water of Baptism has regenerated to
imitate the purity of Christ.[132]
The integrality of the gift of self
2346 Charity is the form of all the virtues. Under its influence, chastity appears as a
school of the gift of the person. Self-mastery is ordered to the gift of self. Chastity leads
him who practices it to become a witness to his neighbor of God's fidelity and loving
kindness.
2347 The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship. It shows the disciple how to follow
and imitate him who has chosen us as his friends,[133] who has given himself totally to
us and allows us to participate in his divine estate. Chastity is a promise of immortality.
Chastity is expressed notably in friendship with one's neighbor. Whether it develops
between persons of the same or opposite sex, friendship represents a great good for all.
It leads to spiritual communion.
The various forms of chastity
2348 All the baptized are called to chastity. The Christian has "put on Christ,"[134] the
model for all chastity. All Christ's faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with
their particular states of life. At the moment of his Baptism, the Christian is pledged to
lead his affective life in chastity.
2349 "People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life.
Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to
God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way
prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or single."[135] Married
people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence: There
are three forms of the virtue of chastity: the first is that of spouses, the second that of
widows, and the third that of virgins. We do not praise any one of them to the exclusion
of the others.... This is what makes for the richness of the discipline of the Church.[136]
2350 Those who are engaged to marry are called to live chastity in continence. They
should see in this time of testing a discovery of mutual respect, an apprenticeship in
fidelity, and the hope of receiving one another from God. They should reserve for
marriage the expressions of affection that belong to married love. They will help each
other grow in chastity.
Offenses against chastity
2351 Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual
pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and
unitive purposes.
2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital
organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the
course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt
and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered
action."[137] "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of
marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside
of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total
meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is
achieved."[138]
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide
pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired
habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not
even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.
2353 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman.
It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally
ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover,
it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.
2354 Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy
of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against
chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other.
It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since
each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all
who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities
should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.
2355 Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the
person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays sins gravely against
himself: he violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles his body,
the temple of the Holy Spirit.[139] Prostitution is a social scourge. It usually involves
women, but also men, children, and adolescents (The latter two cases involve the added
sin of scandal.). While it is always gravely sinful to engage in prostitution, the
imputability of the offense can be attenuated by destitution, blackmail, or social
pressure.
2356 Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does
injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and
moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark
the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act. Graver still is the rape of children
committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children
entrusted to them.
Chastity and homosexuality
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who
experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same
sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures.
Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture,
which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,[140] tradition has always
declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."[141] They are contrary to
the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a
genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be
approved.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is
not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of
them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign
of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to
fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the
Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach
them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and
sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian
perfection.
III. THE LOVE OF HUSBAND AND WIFE
2360 Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman. In marriage the
physical intimacy of the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion.
Marriage bonds between baptized persons are sanctified by the sacrament.
2361 "Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another
through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply
biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized
in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman
commit themselves totally to one another until death."[142]
Tobias got out of bed and said to Sarah, "Sister, get up, and let us pray and implore our
Lord that he grant us mercy and safety." So she got up, and they began to pray and
implore that they might be kept safe. Tobias began by saying, "Blessed are you, O God
of our fathers.... You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve as a helper and
support. From the two of them the race of mankind has sprung. You said, 'It is not
good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.' I now am
taking this kinswoman of mine, not because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that she
and I may find mercy and that we may grow old together." And they both said, "Amen,
Amen." Then they went to sleep for the night.[143]
2362 "The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes
place are noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts fosters the
self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude."[144] Sexuality is a
source of joy and pleasure:
The Creator himself . . . established that in the [generative] function, spouses should
experience pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do
nothing evil in seeking this pleasure and enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has
intended for them. At the same time, spouses should know how to keep themselves
within the limits of just moderation.[145]
2363 The spouses' union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses
themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage
cannot be separated without altering the couple's spiritual life and compromising the
goods of marriage and the future of the family.
The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of
fidelity and fecundity.
Conjugal fidelity
2364 The married couple forms "the intimate partnership of life and love established by
the Creator and governed by his laws; it is rooted in the conjugal covenant, that is, in
their irrevocable personal consent."[146] Both give themselves definitively and totally to
one another. They are no longer two; from now on they form one flesh. The covenant
they freely contracted imposes on the spouses the obligation to preserve it as unique and
indissoluble.[147] "What therefore God has joined together, let not man put
asunder."[148]
2365 Fidelity expresses constancy in keeping one's given word. God is faithful. The
Sacrament of Matrimony enables man and woman to enter into Christ's fidelity for his
Church. Through conjugal chastity, they bear witness to this mystery before the world.
St. John Chrysostom suggests that young husbands should say to their wives: I have
taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present
life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we
may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us.... I place your love
above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a
different mind than you.[149]
The fecundity of marriage
2366 Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be
fruitful. A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love
of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and
fulfillment. So the Church, which "is on the side of life"[150] teaches that "it is necessary
that each and every marriage act remain ordered 'per se' to the procreation of human
life."[151] "This particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by the
Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on
his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative
significance which are both inherent to the marriage act."[152]
2367 Called to give life, spouses share in the creative power and fatherhood of
God.[153] "Married couples should regard it as their proper mission to transmit human
life and to educate their children; they should realize that they are thereby cooperating
with the love of God the Creator and are, in a certain sense, its interpreters. They will
fulfill this duty with a sense of human and Christian responsibility."[154]
2368 A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the regulation of procreation. For just
reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make
certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the
generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood. Moreover, they should conform their
behavior to the objective criteria of morality:
When it is a question of harmonizing married love with the responsible transmission of
life, the morality of the behavior does not depend on sincere intention and evaluation
of motives alone; but it must be determined by objective criteria, criteria drawn from
the nature of the person and his acts criteria that respect the total meaning of mutual
self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love; this is possible only if the
virtue of married chastity is practiced with sincerity of heart.[155]
2369 "By safeguarding both these essential aspects, the unitive and the procreative, the
conjugal act preserves in its fullness the sense of true mutual love and its orientation
toward man's exalted vocation to parenthood."[156]
2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on selfobservation
and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of
morality.[157] These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness
between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every
action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in
the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means,
to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:[158]
Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and
wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language,
namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive
refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love,
which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.... The difference, both
anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the
cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person
and of human sexuality.[159]
2371 "Let all be convinced that human life and the duty of transmitting it are not limited
by the horizons of this life only: their true evaluation and full significance can be
understood only in reference to man's eternal destiny."[160]
2372 The state has a responsibility for its citizens' well-being. In this capacity it is
legitimate for it to intervene to orient the demography of the population. This can be
done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not by
authoritarian, coercive measures. The state may not legitimately usurp the initiative of
spouses, who have the primary responsibility for the procreation and education of their
children.[161] In this area, it is not authorized to employ means contrary to the moral
law.
The gift of a child
2373 Sacred Scripture and the Church's traditional practice see in large families a sign of
God's blessing and the parents' generosity.[162]
2374 Couples who discover that they are sterile suffer greatly. "What will you give me,"
asks Abraham of God, "for I continue childless?"[163] And Rachel cries to her husband
Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!"[164]
2375 Research aimed at reducing human sterility is to be encouraged, on condition that
it is placed "at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, and his true and
integral good according to the design and will of God."[165]
2376 Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a
person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely
immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization)
infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to
each other by marriage. They betray the spouses' "right to become a father and a mother
only through each other."[166]
2377 Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination
and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable. They
dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into
existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but
one that "entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and
biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of
the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity
and equality that must be common to parents and children."[167] "Under the moral
aspect procreation is deprived of its proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of
the conjugal act, that is to say, of the specific act of the spouses' union .... Only respect
for the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of the
human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the
person."[168]
2378 A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift. The "supreme gift of marriage"
is a human person. A child may not be considered a piece of property, an idea to which
an alleged "right to a child" would lead. In this area, only the child possesses genuine
rights: the right "to be the fruit of the specific act of the conjugal love of his parents,"
and "the right to be respected as a person from the moment of his conception."[169]
2379 The Gospel shows that physical sterility is not an absolute evil. Spouses who still
suffer from infertility after exhausting legitimate medical procedures should unite
themselves with the Lord's Cross, the source of all spiritual fecundity. They can give
expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing
demanding services for others.
IV. OFFENSES AGAINST THE DIGNITY OF
MARRIAGE
Adultery
2380 Adultery refers to marital infidelity. When two partners, of whom at least one is
married to another party, have sexual relations - even transient ones - they commit
adultery. Christ condemns even adultery of mere desire.[170] The sixth commandment
and the New Testament forbid adultery absolutely.[171] The prophets denounce the
gravity of adultery; they see it as an image of the sin of idolatry.[172]
2381 Adultery is an injustice. He who commits adultery fails in his commitment. He
does injury to the sign of the covenant which the marriage bond is, transgresses the
rights of the other spouse, and undermines the institution of marriage by breaking the
contract on which it is based. He compromises the good of human generation and the
welfare of children who need their parents' stable union.
Divorce
2382 The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that
marriage be indissoluble.[173] He abrogates the accommodations that had slipped into
the old Law.[174]
Between the baptized, "a ratified and consummated marriage cannot be dissolved by
any human power or for any reason other than death."[175]
2383 The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate
in certain cases provided for by canon law.[176]
If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of
the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute
a moral offense.
2384 Divorce is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to
which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death. Divorce does
injury to the covenant of salvation, of which sacramental marriage is the sign.
Contracting a new union, even if it is recognized by civil law, adds to the gravity of the
rupture: the remarried spouse is then in a situation of public and permanent adultery:
If a husband, separated from his wife, approaches another woman, he is an adulterer
because he makes that woman commit adultery, and the woman who lives with him is
an adulteress, because she has drawn another's husband to herself.[177]
2385 Divorce is immoral also because it introduces disorder into the family and into
society. This disorder brings grave harm to the deserted spouse, to children traumatized
by the separation of their parents and often torn between them, and because of its
contagious effect which makes it truly a plague on society.
2386 It can happen that one of the spouses is the innocent victim of a divorce decreed
by civil law; this spouse therefore has not contravened the moral law. There is a
considerable difference between a spouse who has sincerely tried to be faithful to the
sacrament of marriage and is unjustly abandoned, and one who through his own grave
fault destroys a canonically valid marriage.[178]
Other offenses against the dignity of marriage
2387 The predicament of a man who, desiring to convert to the Gospel, is obliged to
repudiate one or more wives with whom he has shared years of conjugal life, is
understandable. However polygamy is not in accord with the moral law." [Conjugal]
communion is radically contradicted by polygamy; this, in fact, directly negates the plan
of God which was revealed from the beginning, because it is contrary to the equal
personal dignity of men and women who in matrimony give themselves with a love that
is total and therefore unique and exclusive."[179] The Christian who has previously lived
in polygamy has a grave duty in justice to honor the obligations contracted in regard to
his former wives and his children.
2388 Incest designates intimate relations between relatives or in-laws within a degree
that prohibits marriage between them.[180] St. Paul stigmatizes this especially grave
offense: "It is actually reported that there is immorality among you . . . for a man is living
with his father's wife.... In the name of the Lord Jesus ... you are to deliver this man to
Satan for the destruction of the flesh...."[181] Incest corrupts family relationships and
marks a regression toward animality.
2389 Connected to incest is any sexual abuse perpetrated by adults on children or
adolescents entrusted to their care. The offense is compounded by the scandalous harm
done to the physical and moral integrity of the young, who will remain scarred by it all
their lives; and the violation of responsibility for their upbringing.
2390 In a so-called free union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public
form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy.
The expression "free union" is fallacious: what can "union" mean when the partners
make no commitment to one another, each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in
himself, or in the future?
The expression covers a number of different situations: concubinage, rejection of
marriage as such, or inability to make long-term commitments.[182] All these situations
offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they
weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must
take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave
sin and excludes one from sacramental communion.
2391 Some today claim a "right to a trial marriage" where there is an intention of getting
married later. However firm the purpose of those who engage in premature sexual
relations may be, "the fact is that such liaisons can scarcely ensure mutual sincerity and
fidelity in a relationship between a man and a woman, nor, especially, can they protect it
from inconstancy of desires or whim."[183] Carnal union is morally legitimate only when
a definitive community of life between a man and woman has been established. Human
love does not tolerate "trial marriages." It demands a total and definitive gift of persons
to one another.[184]
IN BRIEF
2392 "Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being" (FC 11).
2393 By creating the human being man and woman, God gives personal dignity equally
to the one and the other. Each of them, man and woman, should acknowledge and
accept his sexual identity.
2394 Christ is the model of chastity. Every baptized person is called to lead a chaste life,
each according to his particular state of life.
2395 Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an
apprenticeship in self-mastery.
2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication,
pornography, and homosexual practices.
2397 The covenant which spouses have freely entered into entails faithful love. It
imposes on them the obligation to keep their marriage indissoluble.
2398 Fecundity is a good, a gift and an end of marriage. By giving life, spouses
participate in God's fatherhood.
2399 The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood
and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify
recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or
contraception).
2400 Adultery, divorce, polygamy, and free union are grave offenses against the dignity
of marriage.
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