Bishop Gianfranco Girotti’s list of “seven new deadly sins” caused controversy among Catholics who argued that they were not new sins. The sins listed were social sins, reflecting a collective failure of society, including pollution, excessive wealth accumulation, genetic manipulation, poverty, human rights violations, drug use and morally questionable experiments. The list aimed to encourage Catholics to reflect on the role of social sins in their lives and promote confession and absolution.
The media coined the term “seven new deadly sins” to describe some examples of social sins enunciated by Bishop Gianfranco Girotti on March 9, 2008. Many Catholics were frustrated by this characterization, claiming that the sins listed in the article were certainly not new ones, and that in fact the Church has deplored these activities for centuries. However, the term “seven new deadly sins” seems to have caught on, and certainly has drawn attention to the Catholic Church and the Pope, who has pointed out that many people, including Christians, have begun to lead more secular and selfishness in the 20th century. century.
Before delving into the content of the seven new deadly sins, it may be useful to briefly discuss the nature of sin in the Catholic Church. Capital or mortal sins are sins that must be absolved before death, through confession and penance. The seven new deadly sins discussed by Bishop Girotti are the so-called “social sins”, distinctive of individual sins. Social sins reflect a collective failure on the part of society; some examples include oppression of the poor, racism and sexism. Unlike individual sins, social sins involve a multitude of selfish and complex decisions and require a shift in social perceptions to change.
In Bishop Girotti’s interview, he listed seven social sins that reflected the changing face of society; some of the things in his list are ancient problems, while others reflect 20th and 21st century problems that would not have happened to the early church. He listed these sins as examples, illustrating the complex nature of faith and sin and encouraging Catholics to think about the role of social sins in their own lives. It should be noted that the seven new deadly sins appeared during Lent, a traditional time for introspection and reflection.
Monsignor Girotti’s list includes: pollution of the natural environment, excessive accumulation of wealth, genetic manipulation, infliction of poverty, violation of the rights of human nature, drug use and trafficking, morally questionable experiments. Issues such as inflicting poverty and accumulating wealth have been a part of the Christian faith for centuries, with Christ himself advocating a life of humility and vilifying people who created wealth for the sake of wealth. Violation of the rights of human nature is also an age-old issue, as the Church encourages people to be responsible to each other and to their community.
Other issues such as morally questionable experiments and genetic manipulation are new to the Church and have been the subject of discussion. Human cloning, for example, could be considered a morally questionable experiment, and the Church has already expressed opinions on this issue; even genetic manipulation is seen as contrary to Church values. Pollution of the environment may seem like a surprising inclusion, but it resonates with the concept of social responsibility, with the Church recognizing that people must maintain the natural environment as part of a commitment to the world at large. Drug use and trafficking are also extremely damaging to many societies.
The list of seven new deadly sins is designed to stimulate insight into faith and to remind people that social sins can be very dangerous. The Church also hoped it would spark greater interest in confession and absolution, which perhaps could have a far-reaching social impact.
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