Category Archives: ethics

Cardinal Schönborn’s grave sin of scandal

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Ron Conte

This LifeSiteNews article is very troubling: Austrian Priest resigns after overruling by cardinal on homosexual in parish council A man named Florian Stangl ran for a seat on the parish council. He is a 26-year-old social worker, who is openly … Continue reading →

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Cardinal Burke’s Error on Contraceptive Coverage

Posted on 15 April 2012 by Ron Conte

If a Catholic employer pays for a health plan that includes contraception, sterilization, and abortion, but does so unwillingly, the cooperation is implicit material cooperation. It is not formal cooperation because his act is not inherently directed at attaining the … Continue reading →

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Doctrinal Error in the USCCB Statement on Religious Liberty

Posted on 13 April 2012 by Ron Conte

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on religious liberty Our First, Most Cherished Liberty. The statement correctly objects to recent attacks on religious liberty in the United States, from a number of different sources. These attacks include … Continue reading →

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Is a Catholic who procures IVF automatically excommunicated? Yes.

Posted on 10 April 2012 by Ron Conte

Is a Catholic who procures in vitro fertilization (IVF) automatically excommunicated? Yes, if he or she knows that the Church issues a sentence of automatic excommunication for the procurement of a direct abortion, and realizes that IVF, as it is … Continue reading →

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Moral analysis: the Maltese conjoined twins

Posted on 10 April 2012 by Ron Conte

This case occurred in 2001. A discussion of the case arose in my discussion group as we were considered the distinction between direct and indirect abortion. The medical situation was this: conjoined twins shared a heart, lungs, and abdomen. If … Continue reading →

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The Distinction between Direct and Indirect Abortion

Posted on 9 April 2012 by Ron Conte

You cannot understand the distinction between direct abortion and indirect abortion unless you understand the three fonts of morality, especially the moral object. See my previous articles on this topic: Intrinsic Evil and the Moral Object In Roman Catholic moral … Continue reading →

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The Abortion Vaccine (What fresh Hell is this?)

Posted on 4 April 2012 by Ron Conte

Pope John Paul II: “The close connection which exists, in mentality, between the practice of contraception and that of abortion is becoming increasingly obvious. It is being demonstrated in an alarming way by the development of chemical products, intrauterine devices … Continue reading →

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Judging Persons or Judging Acts

Posted on 21 March 2012 by Ron Conte

There is a difference between judging the person, and judging the behavior. We should not judge persons, but we should judge acts (behavior). If a person robs a bank, we say that bank robbery is wrong. But we don’t say, … Continue reading →

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Who should be denied Communion under Canon 915?

Posted on 18 March 2012 by Ron Conte

UPDATED — Any baptized Catholic who has committed the sin of apostasy, or formal heresy, or formal schism is thereby automatically excommunicated, and many not receive holy Communion, nor any of the other Sacraments (except Confession, if the sinner is … Continue reading →

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Birth Control and Church Authority

Posted on 17 March 2012 by Ron Conte

This post is an analysis of the theology in an article by Dr. Gary Gutting, professor of philosophy at Notre Dame University. The article was published in the New York Times: Birth Control, Bishops and Religious Authority (15 Feb 2012). … Continue reading →

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Is it a sin? Food Pantry staff ask food recipients to pray with them

Posted on 16 March 2012 by Ron Conte

In this blog, I frequently write about intrinsically evil acts — acts that are inherently immoral, in and of themselves, due to an evil moral object. However, there are three fonts of morality, three aspects of any knowingly chosen act … Continue reading →

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The lesbian communion incident: Canon law versus the Eternal Moral Law

Posted on 15 March 2012 by Ron Conte

Fr. Marcel Guarnizo was in the sacristy, preparing for a funeral Mass, when the daughter of the deceased entered with another woman. The daughter, Barbara Johnson, identified the other woman as her lover. She made a deliberate disclosure to the … Continue reading →

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