Dear Catholic Exchange:
I just wanted to tell you how much this article [Beginning of Humanity] has meant to me personally. It explains something I have been trying to understand for many years. I guess I accidentally stumbled upon a question that many others have grappled with as well, on the question of evil. Your article is very clarifying, and I will spend time and prayer to attempt to understand this better.
I do have a question regarding this article. What if a person had never been told that an action is evil and it is legally acceptable in society? Does a person need full knowledge that a sin is gravely wrong in order for the sin to be mortal? Can society be considered partly culpable if the action is legally protected? Also, what if a person, much later, comes to an understanding of the gravity of a sin?
Just thinking…
I thank God for the absolutely beautiful gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. One who has sinned much, often loves much as well.
Laura Kazlas
Dear Ms. Kazlas,
Peace in Christ!
Full knowledge is one of the three conditions necessary for a sin to be mortal. For a full discussion of what makes a sin a mortal sin, please see our Faith Fact Persevering to the End: The Biblical Reality of Mortal Sin. Without full knowledge that a particular act is evil, a person’s culpability is diminished and the sin is not mortal. The Church means by “full knowledge” that “it presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law” (cf. Catechism, no 1859). The Catechism further says that “unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man” (Catechism, no. 1860). In other words, one can still commit a mortal sin even if he does not know what the Church teaches on the matter because the natural moral law is written on every person’s heart. If knowing that the Church says something is wrong was what was necessary for “full knowledge,” then non-Catholics could not commit mortal sin. This is not the case. Whether or not someone has “full knowledge” that an act is sinful can only be determined by the individual.
If a person comes to understand the gravity of the act much later, they could fall into mortal sin if they committed the act again; however, such knowledge would not make the prior act a mortal sin as it happened before the condition of full knowledge was met.
Every sin has an individual and a social aspect to it. Even the most private sins are also social sins because of the reality of the Mystical Body of Christ. What one person does effects all the members of Body. On the other hand, every social sin is made up of the sins of individuals. It is important not to overemphasize the social aspect of sin to the point of eliminating individual responsibility; however, there does exist a social responsibility for legally protected sinful acts (such as abortion). The Catechism states that personal sins lead to “structures of sin” whereby society itself is structured in such a way as to make sin easier to commit (Catechism, no 1869). We are all members of our society and thus we all share in the responsibility for such a great moral evil as abortion. We all have an obligation to do our part to bring about a culture of life in this country and to end the culture of death.
United in the Faith,
Joseph Taylor
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
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