Moral Issues

Bioethics, Medical Ethics

Lay people deserve to be as educated as possible in Catholic teaching. It is to the Church’s advantage that we be educated in the areas of bioethics and medical ethics, in light of our religious and civic responsibilities. Many of the burning issues of our times are bioethical: stem-cell experimentation, euthanasia, and prenatal genetic diagnosis are only a few of the topics we read about in... Read More

Environmental Ethics

Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, people everywhere are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the goods of the earth as we have in the past. . . . [A] new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge. . . . The ecological crisis is a moral issue. – Pope John Paul II, The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility The resources in this section call us to examine... Read More

Living Virtue

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phil 4:8) The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God. – St. Gregory of Nyssa, De beatitudinibus The seven virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, faith, hope, and... Read More

Same-Sex Unions

Since the beginning of the world, marriage and blessing have been inseparable. The blessing of marriage survived unharmed from our break with God through original sin. Jesus not only restored, but elevated the blessing of marriage to a sacrament. As a sign of Christ’s living presence in the world, marriage between one man and one woman is special blessing to our communities. The resources in... Read More

Sexuality

It is clear in the Scriptures that God looks at the world and human life differently from human beings with their limited vision. His pensive view encompasses the whole of the human family and all the ages and all eternity. He willed to share with women and men a unique role in his creative generativity which makes human sexuality unique in all creation. The resources in this section offer an introduction... Read More

Social Teaching

The resources in this section expose Catholics to the essential principles of social justice as taught by the Catholic Church with the goal of being able to: know what the virtue of justice entails, articulate how these principles promote justice, and make connections between our Christian faith, worship, prayer, and justice.   Website Links Justice, Peace and Human Development, U. S. Conference... Read More

War and Peace

The resources in this section provide an informative and thoughtful moral analysis to help Catholics navigate the rapidly changing terrain of war, warmaking, and peace initiatives.     Website Links War and Peace, U.  S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Book Recommendations Nuclear Deterrence, Morality and Realism by John Finnis, Joseph Boyle Jr., and Germain Grisez Providing a rigorous and... Read More