... titled, "The Search for Universal Ethics: A New Look at the Natural Law." The translation is not an official one; it was produced by Joseph Bolin, who has a Licentiate degree from the International Theological Institute in Austria, is a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Vienna, and is working on a doctoral degree at the University of Vienna, writing on the vocation to states of life, in light of the common vocation to holiness, according to Thomas Aquinas.
From Bolin's "Paths of Love" website, this note:
Go to the document. Thank you, Joseph, for the translation!
50 Questions on the Natural Law by Charles Rice might be a good introduction before tackling the Theological Commission's document.
Posted by: Sharon | Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 11:48 PM
In section 34 it notes of the natural law: "the Magisterium of the Church has been established the guaranty and interpreter of it".
The sentence should qualify the extent of that guaranty. When the Magisterium takes the pains to speak infallibly, she is the gauranty of the natural law. When she does not speak infallibly, she is not.
In section 80 of "Splendor of the Truth, John Paul II calls both slavery and torture "intrinsic evils". Aquinas (following Augustine who accepted slavery) states that the slave status of a child born to a slave mother is in the canons or decretals and he gives the actual cites easily found at new advent/Summa Theologica/in the final part, Supplement On Marriage/ article on marriage of a slave. The primary Catholic theologians in the Universities always held exceptional reasons for slavery even during the papal interventions which seemed to denounce all slavery. That is why there were always two tiers on this matter: papal bulls against (some obviously limited (Canary Island bull limited to "baptized"))...and the separate realm of Catholic countries taking part in it without interdict by Rome...and with it understood by people like Bishop John England defending it in the US in the 19th century that the exceptions in the Catholic Universities still obtained.
Posted by: bill bannon | Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 05:36 AM