David Cloutier, associate professor, moral theology, was quoted in a National Catholic Register story about Pope Francis’ recent statement on the death penalty.
... “It is unfortunately the case that some in Catholic circles have continued to resist this plain development,” said David Cloutier, a moral theologian at The Catholic University of America. He cited the example of recent executions in which the offenders were clearly no longer a threat to society because they were incarcerated. “Yet some Catholics have continued to defend these executions as a matter of so-called prudential judgment,” Cloutier said. “This ignores the logic of the development in teaching. It is quite possible that Francis is dissatisfied with the Catechism because the inclusion of the ‘rare, if not practically nonexistent’ cases of social self-defense has allowed this sort of dissent to persist. Thus, Francis wants the statement against the death penalty to be stronger.” ...
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