Pope John Paul II treats certain fundamental aspects of Catholic moral doctrine

1. lob
Veritatis Splendor
6 August 1993
Feast of the Transfiguration

2. lob
Pope John Paul II treats certain
fundamental aspects of Catholic moral doctrine.

3. lob
It deals with the influence of currents of thought which
ultimately separate the exercise of
human freedom
from its essential and constitutive relationship
with truth.

4. lob
there has been a radical rethinking of the mutual roles of
faith and reason
in identifying moral norms which refer to specific “inner-
worldly” kinds of behavior. There has been a tendency to assign
to autonomous reason (quite apart from revelation, tradition and
the Magisterium, and even from an antecedent truth) the task of
creatively establishing norms relative to the “human good.”

5. lob
Even more radically, the acceptance of a certain concept of autonomy
has called into question the intrinsic connection between
faith and morality.
Faith, it must be said, is not merely an intellectual assent to certain
abstract truths; it also possesses a moral content.

6. lob
Christ, the Light of the Nations
Christ has shown us the way of authentic freedom:
“The truth will make you free” (John 8:32).
He himself has told us:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

7. lob
Contents of the Encyclical
1.
It begins with a biblical meditation on the dialogue of Jesus with the rich
young man (Matt. 19:16-22); this helps to bring out the essential
elements of Christian morality.

8. lob
Contents of the Encyclical
2.
In the middle chapter, which is doctrinal in nature, it proceeds to make
a critical discernment of certain trends in contemporary moral theology,
in the light of sacred Scripture and the Church’s living tradition, with
particular reference to the Second Vatican Council.

9. lob
Contents of the Encyclical
3.
In the third chapter, which is pastoral in nature, it points out the
relevance of Catholic teaching on the moral good for the life of the
Church and of the world.

10. lob
"PROPORTIONALISM"
by weighing the various values and goods being sought, focuses rather
on the proportion acknowledged between the good and bad effects of
that choice, with a view to the "greater good" or "lesser evil" actually
possible in a particular situation.

11. lob
"PROPORTIONALISM"
while acknowledging that moral values are indicated by reason and by
Revelation, maintain that it is never possible to formulate an absolute
prohibition of particular kinds of behaviour which would be in conflict,
in every circumstance and in every culture, with those values.

12. lob
THE ACTING SUBJECT WOULD INDEED BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
ATTAINING THE VALUES PURSUED, BUT IN TWO WAYS

13. lob
the values or goods involved in a human act would be, from one
viewpoint, of the moral order (in relation to properly moral values, such
as love of God and neighbour, justice, etc.)
THE ACTING SUBJECT WOULD INDEED BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ATTAINING
THE VALUES PURSUED, BUT IN TWO WAYS

14. lob
THE ACTING SUBJECT WOULD INDEED BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ATTAINING
THE VALUES PURSUED, BUT IN TWO WAYS
another viewpoint, of the pre-moral order, which some term non-moral,
physical or ontic (in relation to the advantages and disadvantages
accruing both to the agent and to all other persons possibly involved,
such as, for example, health or its endangerment, physical integrity, life,
death, loss of material goods, etc.).