Evangelium Vitae - The Stand of the Catholic Church on Self-Defense

Atty. Nandy Pacheco, self-proclaimed religious man and head of the gun control advocacy group, gunless society, frequently cites the “thou shall not kill” commandment as the basis for his anti-gun agenda arguments. He will have people believe that said commandment is absolute and that the taking of human life, under any circumstance, cannot be justified, specially in the eyes of God. What Nandy Pacheco fails to mention is that the Vatican already clarified this issue through the Evangelium Vitae issued by Pope John Paul II (Latin for "The Gospel of Life", it is the name of the encyclical written by Pope John Paul II which expresses the position of the Catholic Church regarding the value and inviolability of human life. The Pope issued the encyclical on March 25, 1995).

The encyclical is quite lengthy and tackles a lot of issues; from abortion to the death penalty. Of particular interest is the portion which deals with the issue of self-defense and the taking of another human life in relation to protecting one’s self or loved ones. Posted below is an excerpt of the encyclical which discusses this particular issue:

Ioannes Paulus PP. II
Evangelium vitae
To the Bishops
Priests and Deacons
Men and Women religious
lay Faithful
and all People of Good Will
on the Value and Inviolability
of Human Life

1995.03.25

 55. This should not cause surprise: to kill a human being, in whom the image of God is present, is a particularly serious sin. Only God is the master of life! Yet from the beginning, faced with the many and often tragic cases which occur in the life of individuals and society, Christian reflection has sought a fuller and deeper understanding of what God's commandment prohibits and prescribes. 43 There are in fact situations in which values proposed by God's Law seem to involve a genuine paradox. This happens for example in the case of legitimate defence, in which the right to protect one's own life and the duty not to harm someone else's life are difficult to reconcile in practice. Certainly, the intrinsic value of life and the duty to love oneself no less than others are the basis of a true right to self-defence. The demanding commandment of love of neighbour, set forth in the Old Testament and confirmed by Jesus, itself presupposes love of oneself as the basis of comparison: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself " (Mk 12:31). Consequently, no one can renounce the right to self-defence out of lack of love for life or for self. This can only be done in virtue of a heroic love which deepens and transfigures the love of self into a radical self-offering, according to the spirit of the Gospel Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:38-40). The sublime example of this self-offering is the Lord Jesus himself.

Moreover, "legitimate defence can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life, the common good of the family or of the State".44 Unfortunately it happens that the need to render the aggressor incapable of causing harm sometimes involves taking his life. In this case, the fatal outcome is attributable to the aggressor whose action brought it about, even though he may not be morally responsible because of a lack of the use of reason. 45

This is the official position of the Vatican and the Catholic Church, yet, Nandy Pacheco seems to neglect this fact and continues to spread his false notions. By doing so, he is going against the very teachings of the Catholic Church and is rebuking the Pope himself.