Church insists we don’t have right to be wrong
In asserting ‘the right to be wrong’, he is rejecting Catholic teaching as presented in Vatican II’s declaration on religious liberty, Dignitatis Humanae.
Religious freedom was seen by Vatican II as ‘immunity from coercion’.
In spite of what some have claimed, Vatican II in fact didn’t reject the Church’s traditional teaching on the duty of individuals and societies towards the one true religion: “Religious freedom in turn which men demand as necessary to fulfil their duty to God has to do with immunity from coercion in civil society. Therefore it leaves untouched the traditional Catholic doctrine on the moral duty of men and societies towards the true religion and towards the one Church of Christ”.
The catechism of the Catholic Church quotes Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XII on the false notion that there is ‘a right to be wrong’: “The right to religious liberty is neither a moral licence to adhere to error, nor a supposed right to error, but rather a natural right of the human person to civil liberty, ie, immunity within just limits from external constraint in religious matters by political authorities”.
Many sins have been committed in the name of Christ and his Church over the centuries. The Church has apologised on behalf of those sinners. I’m thinking especially of the apologies by the Spanish hierarchy and the late, lamented Pope John Paul II .
It is clear from the examples given by Patrick Kenny that Catholics and their Church have been sinned against, as have the conscientious ministers of other faiths.
Prudence urges that a certain amount of error be tolerated.
Not every sin can be, or should be, declared a crime in civil law. That would be totally ridiculous.
But to say there is a right to error is just plain illogical.
Do we have a right to break a just law? Certainly not.
Séamas de Barra
83 Beaufort Downs
Rathfarnham
Dublin 14
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