Second in a series (see here for the first) of quotations from the Vatican Council News Service reports on the Central Preparatory Commission of the Second Vatican Council.

January 15, 1962
The Moral Order

It is becoming more evident even among believers that there is a form of moral disorder in which the limits between good and evil become confused and even disappear. Such is also the case between what is licit and what is not. Pius XII declared in one of his discourses that the greatest sin of our time is not to believe in sin, i.e., no longer to believe in the existence of the moral order that qualifies and distinguishes the thoughts, affections, and human actions before God. From this disorder are born errors denying the existence of God, the author and guardian of the moral order. The attempt is then made, varying with men and time, to substitute the useful, the agreeable, the good of the race, the interests of a class, or the power of the state, as the criterion of morality. Thus, philosophical systems, literary fashions, and political doctrines have been created and propagated. These try to substitute for the Christian moral order the so-called morality of the situation or individualistic morality, often condemned by Pius XII and finally condemned by a decree of the Holy Office in February of 1956. These also try to substitute the morality of independence (i.e., divorced from the Christian morality) for the idea of God, sanction, and obligation.

Naturally the deleterious consequences of these theories are always reflected in the conscience of people, whether they are aware of it for not. So it is that some speak with an extreme liberality of the autonomy of conscience or of the direct conversations between conscience and God without the intermediary of laws and religion, as if these were an obstace. One so frequently hears discussions today on the so-called conflicts in reality between art and morality, or between freedom of expression and conscience. These conflicts have been artificially created and indicate the errors which have permeated many minds.

In the final analysis, this matter concerns errors which degrade human dignity under the false pretext of freeing man from all bonds that would restrict his nature in some way. The moral order has the task, not only of leading man to his true end, but of defending him against all doctrines and practices that would enslave him to the minds, modes and passions that are contrary to the dignity of his intellect.

In particular, the moral order defends the immutable principles of Christian modesty and chastity. We know the energies spent at the present time by the world of fashion, movies, and the press in order to shake the foundations of Christian morality in this regard, as if the Sixth Commandment should be considered outmoded and free reign should be given to all passions, even those against nature. The Council will have something to say concerning this subject. It will clarify and eventually condemn all the attempts to revive paganism and all the trends that in the abuse of psychoanalysis tend to justify even those things which are directly contrary to the moral order.

As we can well imagine, this is a vast field which the Central Commission explored today. It is especially a domain in which the most diverse errors mulitply, favored by the conditions of the modern world: by its technical progress, its modes of life, and its growing means of propaganda and publicity. Far from losing itself in speculation and losing contact with daily life, the Commission turns towards modern man, toward the spiritual dangers that surround him, and it penetrates resolutely to the heart of the problem, in order to indicate the practical and sure ways that lead to salvation.
go to main page