There Really is No Wiggle Room for Torture Sophists

Last updated on: January 29, 2015 at 12:21 am by Mark Shea

There Really is No Wiggle Room for Torture Sophists 2015-01-25T22:28:23-07:00 Mark Shea

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A reader writes:

I just wanted to share something that I think is significant as an extremely recent magisterial statement from Pope Francis–may be the most clear prohibition of torture “under any circumstances” from the magisterium. It occurred this past October 23, in Francis’s address to the delegates of the International Association of Penal Law (link below). In it, Francis mentions use of torture both to extract a confession *and* “information.”

I thought it might provide a most-recent and accurate magisterial response to those arguing for use of torture to extract information as being somehow in contrast to extracting confession. With this statement from Francis, there is simply no such wiggle room left, seems to me, even if anyone perceived wiggle room in the “under any circumstances” statement of Benedict….

God bless–hope this is of help!

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141023_associazione-internazionale-diritto-penale.html

c) Regarding torture and other measures, and cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments

The adjective “cruel”; under these headings that I have mentioned, there is always that root: the human capacity for cruelty. This is a passion, a real vice! One form of torture is the one sometimes applied through confinement in high security prisons. With the pretext of offering greater security to society or special treatment for certain categories of prisoners, its main characteristic is none other than external isolation. As shown by studies carried out by various human rights organizations, the lack of sensory stimuli, the total impossibility of communication and the lack of contact with other human beings induce mental and physical suffering such as paranoia, anxiety, depression, weight loss, and significantly increase the suicidal tendency.

This phenomenon, a characteristic of high security prisons, also occurs in other types of penitentiaries, along with other forms of physical and mental torture, the practice of which has spread. Today torture is not inflicted only as a means of obtaining a specific objective, such as a confession or information — practices which are characteristic of national security doctrine — but is a genuine surplus of pain added to the actual suffering of imprisonment. In this way, torture occurs not only in clandestine detention centres or in modern day concentration camps, but also in prisons, institutes for juveniles, psychiatric hospitals, police stations and other centres and institutions of detention and punishment.

The very theory of criminal justice has great responsibility in this sphere, by the fact of having permitted, in certain cases, the legitimization of torture on certain grounds, opening the way to further and more extensive abuses.

Many States are also responsible for having committed or tolerated kidnapping within their territories, including that of citizens of their respective countries, or of having authorized the use of their air space for illegal transportation toward detention centres where torture takes place.

These abuses can only be stopped with the firm commitment of the international community to recognize the primacy of the pro homine principle, meaning the dignity of the human person above every thing else.

All quite obvious. But then it has been obvious for 10 years that torture is incompatible with Catholic teaching. But that has not stopped (and will not stop) Catholic sophists from striving to defend the indefensible. It is the mystery of evil, and doubly so that the biggest champions of this filth typically describe themselves as “prolife” so that God’s Name is blasphemed among the Gentiles. It’s moments like this I am especially grateful for the Magisterium.

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Torture is Evil

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