In what cases would it be appropriate to 'take a man's life to save his soul'? What would the process be (in a Catholic Government?) and the rational used to actually do this?

 :scratchchin:

I highly doubt that it is possible to safe somebody by taking his life, as long as there is no contrition etc on his side.
I guess you rather mean a deeper explanation of the procedure for treating heretics in a Catholic society, according to the moral-principle of totality? But this is rather meant to safeguard the body of the faithful, not the heretic.

Ah, thank you. I asked because I was reading the book Tele referred to, Judaism and the Vatican. In it, the author quoted a Jєωιѕн scholar who actually defended the church in her treatment of Jєωs. He, the Jєωιѕн scholar, said, "The church endowed all human beings with a soul, and it took a man's life only to save his soul."

"The church endowed all human beings with a soul, and it took a man's life only to save his soul."

The Church never executed anybody, it left that to the civil authorities.  

The Church would hold trials to determine if someone is a heretic, such as the Inquisition, but the state did not have to consequently punish heretics if it didn't want to.  The fact is that heresy is a danger to the STATE, not just the Church, leading to immorality and vice and disorder.

True, it may seem to pagans like a distinction without a difference.  But nevertheless it's a distinction.  As for the Crusades, that is not "taking a man's life" in the sense of burning a heretic at the stake, but war.  Again it's not the "Church" that goes to war, Catholic soldiers yes, even encouraged by the Pope, but the Church itself isn't killing anyone. A call to arms by the Pope doesn't fall under infallibility, it isn't the same as the CHURCH giving a call to arms, which doesn't mean it should be disregarded necessarily.  

The Church, according to my understanding -- which may be faulty -- never technically is involved with any kind of killing.  Neither executions nor wars can be imputed to the Church, although members of the Church, even the highest members, may be involved to a greater or lesser extent.  Not that that means all corporal punishment is bad as some hippies would have us believe.  The Church combats heresy on a spiritual and intellectual plane; members of the Church may sometimes get involved in bƖσσdshɛd if such is deemed necessary.

The Church never executed anybody, it left that to the civil authorities.

Personally, I believe this is a pure technicality. We know from the bull "Unam Sanctam" of Boniface VIII that the spiritual and material power is in the hands of the Church.

Uterque gladius, spiritualis et materialis, est in potestate ecclesiae.

And also Leo X.´ condemnation in Exsurge Domine of the following error of Martin Luther: "Haereticos comburi est contra voluntatem Spiritus. - to burn heretics is against the will of the Holy Ghost.

Nobody can deny that the Church possesses the power to inflict poenae temporales et corporales, but even the liberal minded Mgr Pohle in his well known Dogmatic Theology series, had to write in the book on Soteriology, Herder 1914:

Has the Church also the power to put malefactors to death (ius gladii) ? Canonists are not agreed on this point [...]

He later puts this into doubt, but the same author (whose books were used in the formation of the American clergy) also said: The cruel practice of burning heretics has fortunately ceased and will never be revived.

I guess he never read Exsurge Domine...

Quote

"The church endowed all human beings with a soul, and it took a man's life only to save his soul."

The Church never executed anybody, it left that to the civil authorities.

But isn't the Church just as culpable even if  they were indirectly involved in the killing?

What happened to St. Joan of Arc? Weren't the Bishops indirectly involved in her burning?  

Does the Church (true teachings) still believe this?

the smart sheep

   

I know a woman who thinks her ex is a heretic. Don't let her find out this teaching!!
 

the smart sheep

The main problem with this thread is that a "Jєωιѕн scholar" was even given such credence in a matter that pertained to the Catholic Church.

Have you read the book Judaism and the Vatican?