Vatican Lists New Sinful Behaviors

[dairygirl4u2c]

i thought the title of the article was pretty...

[quote]Vatican lists new sinful behaviors

ROME, Italy (AP) -- A Vatican official has listed drugs, pollution and genetic manipulations as well as social and economic injustices as new areas of sinful behavior.

The Vatican has updated the list of mortal sins to relate to the age of globalization.

Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti said in an interview published on Sunday by the Vatican's daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, that known sins increasingly manifest themselves as behavior that damages society as a whole.

Girotti, who heads the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican body that issues decisions on matters of conscience and grants absolutions told the paper that whilst sin used to concern the individual mostly, today it had a mainly a social resonance, due to the phenomenon of globalization.

Catholic teaching distinguishes between lesser, so-called venial sins, and mortal sins.

When asked to list the new areas of sinful behavior, Girotti denounced "certain violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through experiments, genetic manipulations."

He also mentioned drugs, which weaken the mind and obscure intelligence; pollution; as well as the widening social and economic differences between the rich and the poor that "cause an unbearable social injustice."

Girotti said the Catholic Church continued to be concerned by other sinful acts, including abortion and pedophilia.

He said Church authorities had reacted with rigorous measures to child abuse scandals within the clergy, but he also claimed that the issue had been excessively emphasized by the media.

His comments came at the end of a week-long Vatican conference on confession.

A recent survey said that 60 percent of Italian Catholics do not go to confession.

Traditionally the Catholic church has had a list of seven deadly sins, that of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride established by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century.

The terms entered the popular vocabulary after the publication of Dante's "Divine Comedy."

The deadly sins are in contrast with venial sins - relatively minor sins that can be forgiven.

A person that commits a mortal sin risks hell unless absolved through confession and penitence.

Now the Vatican says it is time to modernize the list to fit a global world.

On hearing the Girotti's suggestion, some priests thought it was a good idea.

Father Antonio Pelayo, a Spanish priest and Vatican expert noted that it is time for both sinners and confessors to get over their obsession with sex and think about other ways humans hurt each other in the world in which they live.

"There are many other sins that are perhaps much more grave that don't have anything to do with sex - that have to do with life, that have to do with the environment, that have to do with justice," he told AP Television.

Father Greg Apparcel, a local priest said that the Pope may have been talking About this aspect of sin as a response to the recent "Italian confession" survey.

Apparcel also hinted that the announcement may have a wider agenda ahead of the Holy Father's trip to the United States and his speech to the United Nations.

"There is some sound going around that perhaps he is going to speak about ecology and environment, and if he does, this is kind of preparation for that," he said.[/quote]
[url="http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/03/10/vatican.updates.sins.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview"]http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/0...ref=mpstoryview[/url]

[Mitchell_b55]

Sadly, this article betrays a lack of theological understanding of the capital sins (from [i]caput[/i], meaning head) which says that those seven sins, are not sinful in themselves, but are rather the root of sin. That said, we can't replace them, because even this new list will point back to failings at the fundamental level. That is to say, the list of 'modern sins' will find root cause in the seven Capital sins. I said the same thing, when the BBC held a poll to determine what the modern world conceives as deadly sins, it is the fact that it doesn't conceive of sin as sin that it is even able to raise such a question.

Edited March 10, 2008 by petrus_scholasticus

[picchick]

I understand what you are saying about the 7 deadly sins and I agree with you. However, I am glad that they are bringing this out. Perhaps it is the media who is downplaying the fact that these stem from the 7 deadly sins? I do not see a direct quote about it from the Vatican.

Again, I am glad that they are addressing this.

[CatherineM]

I could see greed and gluttony being interpreted in the light of new environmental consciousness.

[Mitchell_b55]

[quote]Perhaps it is the media who is downplaying the fact that these stem from the 7 deadly sins?[/quote]

That was my impression, too. I think it is also the media who is declaring them to be a replacement for the sins of the past. It also shows a complete simplification. The Church has defined sin well above and beyond the seven deadly sins, so it seems silly to say that just more clarification on what is sinful is replacing the capital sins.

[quote]I could see greed and gluttony being interpreted in the light of new environmental consciousness.[/quote]

Yes, though pride might also factor in. Then again, pride must precede any of the others, anyway.

Edited March 10, 2008 by petrus_scholasticus

[picchick]

My question is this: Do I get time off in purgatory for recycling and using public transportation/walking? That would be great if I do.

[Mitchell_b55]

[quote]Do I get time off in purgatory for recycling and using public transportation/walking?[/quote]

I must get some extra days since I literally walk everywhere. I might get in a gas guzzling vehicle once a month, at most. I also take those reusable green cloth bags that they sell all over the place, when I go shopping. I also recycle. Do you know something, though, I don't do it because the world is melting I do it because I respect the gifts given to us. Then again, I walk, because it keeps me active.

Edited March 10, 2008 by petrus_scholasticus

[picchick]

[quote name='petrus_scholasticus' post='1475151' date='Mar 10 2008, 07:12 PM']I must get some extra days since I literally walk everywhere. I might get in a gas guzzling vehicle once a month, at most. I also take those reusable green cloth bags that they sell all over the place, when I go shopping. I also recycle. Do you know something, though, I don't do it because the world is melting I do it because I respect the gifts given to us. Then again, I walk, because it keeps me active.[/quote]

I do it because I believe that God gave us this world to use and to take care of. I think that we are too liberal in the way that we use our precious resources. I mean, I don't know when the world is going to end. My kids, my kids kids etc will need to use it to. I think I need to take care of it for them. Also, I don't want God to come back to this earth and be like, "WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO?!?!?!" I know He knows what is going on, but I'd like to keep it somewhat pretty for Him when He comes back. I guess that means I need to clean my room.

Meg

[Mitchell_b55]

[quote]I do it because I believe that God gave us this world to use and to take care of.[/quote]

Amen.

[Aloysius]

oh man, the media is just goin left and right recently misinterpretting everything out of the vatican in as sensational a way as possible

[url="http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=57130"]http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=57130[/url]

[Ash Wednesday]

I don't have a problem with concepts of sin and gluttony applying to ecology. I don't see how leaving future generations to wade through garbage is exactly an act of charity....

[Socrates]

[quote name='Aloysius' post='1475275' date='Mar 10 2008, 08:29 PM']oh man, the media is just goin left and right recently misinterpretting everything out of the vatican in as sensational a way as possible

[url="http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=57130"]http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=57130[/url][/quote]
Yeah, the reporting of this just looks like more typical media ignorance and sensationalism.
The Church is not changing any moral teachings here or "adding new sins" - it's just applying moral teachings to modern concerns.
Unneccesary wastefulness or destructiveness of God's gifts has always been regarded as sinful. (We were always taught that deliberately wasting food was a sin).
Likewise, defrauding the worker of his wages and oppressing the poor ("social injustice") were traditionally regarded among the "sins which cry out to heaven for vengeance."

Personally, I think some Vatican officials are trying a little too hard to be hip with the whole environmental thing, but there is no radical change in Catholic moral teaching, like the media is making it out to be.

[quote]Traditionally the Catholic church has had a list of seven deadly sins, that of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride established by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century.

The terms entered the popular vocabulary after the publication of Dante's "Divine Comedy."

The deadly sins are in contrast with venial sins - relatively minor sins that can be forgiven.[/quote]
The writer here apparently confuses the seven deadly sins with mortal sins. The Seven Deadly Sins are the "root sins," and particular sins involving each may be either mortal or venial depending on seriousness.
And no new deadly sins are being added.

Of course, plenty of "liberal Catholics" will try to use this nonsense to pretend the Church is changing her moral teaching, like this liberal priest:[quote]Father Antonio Pelayo, a Spanish priest and Vatican expert noted that it is time for both sinners and confessors to get over their obsession with sex and think about other ways humans hurt each other in the world in which they live.[/quote]
Sounds like more of the old liberal whining that the Church needs to get over that old-fashioned sexual morality, and start worrying about social justice, man! (Like too much attention to sexual morality is the problem with today's Catholics - sheesh!)

[Ash Wednesday]

LOL.... that is priceless. No matter what the subject matter, asking someone to "get over their obsession with sex" is generally code language for "I have a heterodox agenda here, and, like, the church needs to ~*change*~" (insert idealistic stars and rainbows here)

[picchick]

But do you note....(lol I said note) that the author is using noted? For all we know they could of twisted the priest's words up to mean that.

As you can see I like giving people the benefit of the doubt unless proved otherwise.

[Justin86]

[quote name='Aloysius' post='1475275' date='Mar 11 2008, 11:29 AM']oh man, the media is just goin left and right recently misinterpretting everything out of the vatican in as sensational a way as possible

[url="http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=57130"]http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=57130[/url][/quote]
Why is it always the British media too?

[mortify]

[quote]"A recent survey said that 60 percent of Italian Catholics do not go to confession."[/quote]

That's of greater concern than global warming!

[Mitchell_b55]

Yes, I think that it is, but we aren't talking about Global warming, Global warming and the environmental awareness are not synonymous. And yes, I agree that confession is more important than environmental awareness, but that doesn't make environmental awareness less important. It is still important. I have always found it curious that people will dismiss something because it is supposedly not as important as something else. What kind of reasoning is this? I am conscious that we live in a disgusting and polluted world, I try to do my part to keep it from being polluted. I'm not militant about it. I don't have a Global warming agenda. It isn't political. I don't like to see the world turned into a landfill. So I use reusable bags. Is that wrong? Does it take anything away from the importance of confession? No, I go weekly. I do weigh priorities, but dearest God, I don't dismiss something because something else is more important. Do I wake every morning clip my nails, comb my hair, and brush my teeth? Yes, I do and I put on clean clothes that have been washed and pressed. Going to daily mass and receiving our Lord is more important than my appearance, but does that mean I go to daily mass in some dirty slacks with bed head and bad breath? Grooming ourselves is important too, but it doesn't follow that just because the Eucharist is more important I should neglect my hygiene. If all of the above sounds as ridiculous to you as it does to me, maybe you'll see my point.

Also, it might interest you to read what Phil wrote at CWN:

[quote]When he finished his interview with L'Osservatore Romano, Archishop Gianfranco Girotti [b]probably thought that his main message had been an appeal to Catholics to use the sacrament of Confession[/b]. Little did he know that the English-language news media would play the interview as a newly revised list of sins.[/quote]

Edited March 11, 2008 by petrus_scholasticus

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote name='Ash Wednesday' post='1475453' date='Mar 11 2008, 04:22 AM']LOL.... that is priceless. No matter what the subject matter, asking someone to "get over their obsession with sex" is generally code language for "I have a heterodox agenda here, and, like, the church needs to ~*change*~" (insert idealistic stars and rainbows here)[/quote]

The Vatican is not obsessed with sex. The media is. If a cardinal so much as breathes one word about sex, a big debate about Catholic ethics and morality explodes in the newspapers. Practically any Zenit article on sexual ethics will be picked up automatically by the mainstream press, making it seem as though sex is all the Church ever talks about. Lots of other things just get ignored.