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A Discussion of the Position of the Catholic Church on Capital Punishment in the Pontificate of John Paul II with Regard to Scripture, History and the Future. This paper will discuss the shift in attitudes toward capital punishment by the Catholic Church under John Paul II. It will be argued that John Paul's great contribution in this regard lay in his clarifying and unifying the Church's opposition to capital punishment into a cohesive argument on both ethical and theological grounds. The scriptural and historical foundation for Catholic defense and opposition to capital punishment in the past and present will be outlined, with some discussion of the implications for the future. 6 pgs. 17 f/c. 5b.
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