Moral Norms for Immoral Behaviors

Published on November 23, 2010

From the 2004 article "The Truth About Condoms" by Opus Dei Father Martin Rhonheimer, Professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy at the School of Philosophy of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and, according to the Catholic Weekly, America, a member of Cardinal Ratzinger's inner circle: But if they ignore this teaching [that homosexuals should "live in continence like any other unmarried person"], and are at risk from HIV, should they use condoms to prevent infection? The moral norm condemning contraception as intrinsically evil does not apply to these cases. Nor can there be church teaching about this; it would be simply nonsensical to establish moral norms for intrinsically immoral types of behaviour. Should the Church teach that a rapist must never use a condom because otherwise he would additionally to the sin of rape fail to respect "mutual and complete personal self-giving and thus violate the Sixth Commandment"? Of course not.

From the 2004 article “The Truth About Condoms” by Opus Dei Father Martin Rhonheimer, Professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy at the School of Philosophy of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and, according to the Catholic Weekly, America, a member of Cardinal Ratzinger’s inner circle:

But if they ignore this teaching [that homosexuals should “live in continence like any other unmarried person”], and are at risk from HIV, should they use condoms to prevent infection? The moral norm condemning contraception as intrinsically evil does not apply to these cases. Nor can there be church teaching about this; it would be simply nonsensical to establish moral norms for intrinsically immoral types of behaviour. Should the Church teach that a rapist must never use a condom because otherwise he would additionally to the sin of rape fail to respect “mutual and complete personal self-giving and thus violate the Sixth Commandment”? Of course not.

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