The Splendor of Truth: An Encyclical by Pope John Paul II

As Ms. Smith explains in her paper titled "Veritatis Splendor, Proportionalism, and Contraception," Veritatis Splendor was written "to establish that some views of the school of moral theology known as 'proportionalism' are in conflict with magisterial Catholic moral teaching." (Smith 1) Some believed that this encyclical was written for the purpose of restating the Church's stand on sexuality and contraception. As Smith states, this was not the chief purpose of this writing. Pope John Paul II supports her assertion as he writes, "...the Church seeks, with great love, to help all the faithful to form a moral conscience which will make judgments and lead to decisions in accordance with the truth" (Veritatis Splendor: III; 85.2).

This is in direct disagreement with the increasingly popular theological and moral concept of relativism. In her essay, Smith calls such persons "proportionalists" and asserts that such people defend themselves saying that they do not "claim that if an agent has a sufficiently good intention, he is justified (i.e., he is doing what he ought to do) in doing an act that is intrinsically wrong"(Smith 14-15). However, in this argument the relativists seem to miss the mark completely. The Pope's main point in regard to this argument is that it is a matter of who decides what is "intrinsically wrong." The official stance of the Church is that we ought to follow the teachings of Jesus and the mandate of God and use such teachings as a moral compass for our lives as Jesus did. We must not simply do what is convenient for us, which is essentially what he charges the moral relativists with doing.

This encyclical as a whole shows that the Church, with Pope John Paul II as its spokesman, recognizes the changing nature of the social construction of the modern world and feels it necessary to remind believers of their moral obligation to follow the path of Jesus Christ (Lewis 3). The Pope explains that faith is more than simply harboring a belief, but rather the most important element of faith is accepting and nurturing the gift of freedom from sin with which we have been blessed. Even more important is the cause of the abuse of the freedom of faith. This cause, he explains, is the issue of faith and morality:

"The attempt to set freedom in opposition to truth, and indeed to separate them radically, is the consequence, manifestation and consummation of another more serious and destructive dichotomy, that which separates faith from morality." (Veritatis Splendor: III; 88.1)

He goes on to explain that we cannot simply life our lives "as though God did not exist," but rather, we must be aware that the word of God is law and ought to be treated as such. (Veritatis Splendor: III; 88.4)

To do so, one must recognize that "faith is a lived knowledge of Christ, a living remembrance of his commandments, and a truth to be lived out" and act as though this is true. (Veritatis Splendor: III; 88.9) We must put the word of God into action and lead our lives in accord with God's will. This is a passionate statement made by Pope John Paul II in a turbulent time in our civilization's history. People are in search of who they are and more loosely defined social norms and moral expectations sometimes encourage people to do what is comfortable rather than what is right. In contrast, the Church's moral teachings are firm and specific, and this is why they are often categorically disregarded (Veritatis Splendor: III; 95).

As Pope John Paul II explains, the moral norms established by the Church are both universal as well as unchanging. Our modern society is becoming increasingly dichotomous, (morality versus wickedness, wealth versus poverty, national interests versus international interests, etc.) and to bridge this gap we must each renew our personal pledge with the Lord and strive to live in accord with his mandate. (Lewis 2)After all, the truth remains that "Only God, the Supreme Good, constitutes the unshakable foundation and essential condition of morality" (Veritatis Splendor: III; 99). Once the race of man collectively acknowledges this truth, there will be neither moral ambiguity nor ignorance.

Works Cited

Lewis, John Angelo. "Tribal Community, Universal Community: The Changing Nature of the Moral World." 2000. AJLA Publications; Previously Published Under Different Title in The National Catholic Leader. Accessed 10 Feb. 2007 .

Pope John Paul II. "Veritatis splendor: Ioannes Paulus PP. II." Aug. 1993: III: 84.1-117.3. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 9 Feb. 2007 < http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0222/__P2.htm>.

Smith, Janet E. "Veritatis Splendor, Proportionalism, and Contraception." University of Dallas. 1-27. Accessed 27 January 2007. .