Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1996
Publication Information
1 Cath. Soc. Sci. Rev. 36 (1996).
Abstract
A distinguishing feature of the natural law, as Catholics have always understood it, is the set of exceptionless negative moral norms, including that against intentionally killing the innocent. These norms constitute the superstructure of the Christian moral life. They also serve as a ramp to heaven for non-Christians. As the Holy Father made so powerfully clear in the encyclical Veritatis Splendor [VS], when we preach the Gospel we preach the good news of salvation through Jesus. "It is precisely on the path of the moral life that the way of salvation is open to all." [VS §3, emphasis in original] The moral truth is thus the path to salvation for those who, through no fault of their own, have not embraced the faith. The importance of the exceptionless negative moral norms to individuals, it seems to me, can hardly be exaggerated.
Recommended Citation
Gerard V. Bradley,
Natural Law and Constitutional Law,
1 Cath. Soc. Sci. Rev. 36 (1996)..
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/law_faculty_scholarship/1743