Vertitatis Splendor

On 6 August 1993, Pope Saint John Paul II released his encyclical Veritatis Splendor in which he addressed certain fundamental questions regarding the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.  

“The specific purpose of the present Encyclical is this: to set forth, with regard to the problems being discussed, the principles of a moral teaching based upon Sacred Scripture and the living Apostolic Tradition, and at the same time to shed light on the presuppositions and consequences of the dissent which that teaching has met,” he wrote.   Veritatis Splendor may be found online at https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_06081993_veritatis-splendor.html    Catholic Answers also provides a helpful summary of Veritatis Splendor drafted by the Vatican on its website https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-vatican-on-veritatis-splendor  

Since Veritatis Splendor deals with Catholic moral theology, we should begin with an explanation of Catholic moral theology.  Catholic moral theology deals with the application of Catholic theology and God’s purpose for humanity to the everyday living of the human being.  It deals with applying God’s revelation and the Church’s teachings based on His revelation to how we live our lives and the choices that we make in the exercise of our free will.  

Veritatis Splendor is not a comprehensive review of Catholic moral theology and teachings.  Rather, the encyclical was written specifically by Pope Saint John Paul II in response to certain concerning trends in Catholic moral theology that arose as a result of Vatican II.   Vatican II called for a renewal of Catholic moral theology.    The Decree on Priestly Formation (Optatum Totius) stated, “Special care must be given to the perfecting of moral theology. Its scientific exposition, nourished more on the teaching of the Bible, should shed light on the loftiness of the calling of the faithful in Christ and the obligation that is theirs of bearing fruit in charity for the life of the world.”   The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) stated “Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.”   Some theologians took Vatican II’s statements as an authorization to issue moral teachings that were contrary to existing traditional Church moral teachings.  Some sought to separate human freedom from truth and advocated the absolute autonomy of human freedom which in turn leads to questioning the intrinsic connection between faith and morality. Some of these theologians thus were advocating for moral relativism in which the individual acts in accordance with his or her own conscience irrespective of the Eternal Truths revealed by Christ and handed down over the millennia by his Church.   Thus Pope Saint John Paul II issued Veritatis Splendor to counter these deviations from authentic Divinely inspired  Catholic moral theology.

There were three essential parts to Veritatis Splendor.  The first part examined Jesus’s conversation with the rich young man described in Matthew 19:16-22.  In this episode, the rich young man asked Jesus “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” and was disappointed with Jesus’s response.  

In the second part, Pope Saint John Paul II critiqued the trends in Catholic moral theology that he finds problematic.   It is very significant that he began this part by quoting Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans:  “Do not be conformed to this world” (12:2).  Clearly, the Pope was seriously concerned that modern secular teachings were finding their way into Catholic moral theology. 

In the last part, Pope Saint John Paul II emphasized that true human freedom is found in Jesus Christ and true human freedom is invariably connected with Truth.  “Only God, the Supreme Good, constitutes the unshakable foundation and essential condition of morality, and thus of the commandments, particularly those negative commandments which always and in every case prohibit behaviour and actions incompatible with the personal dignity of every man,” he wrote.  “The Supreme Good and the moral good meet in truth: the truth of God, the Creator and Redeemer, and the truth of man, created and redeemed by him.”  

Having profoundly examined the issues facing Catholic moral theology and offering corrections to the errant trends therein, Pope Saint John Paul II concluded with a word of caution and a prayer.   “No absolution offered by beguiling doctrines, even in the areas of philosophy and theology, can make man truly happy: only the Cross and the glory of the Risen Christ can grant peace to his conscience and salvation to his life,” he wrote.

Most lovingly devoted to Our Blessed Mother, the Pope then implored her intercession for humanity:

“O Mary, Mother of Mercy, watch over all people, that the Cross of Christ may not be emptied of its power, that man may not stray from the path of the good or become blind to sin, but may put his hope ever more fully in God who is "rich in mercy" (Eph 2:4).  May he carry out the good works prepared by God beforehand (cf. Eph 2:10) and so live completely "for the praise of his glory" (Eph 1:12).”

Pope Saint John Paul II issued Veritatis Splendor some 33 years ago next month.  Yet his guidance is no less relevant today as we see certain theologians and even senior leaders of our Holy Church advancing moral teachings which are contrary to Holy Scripture and the authentic teachings of the Magisterium.