The Roman Catholic Church has long been known for its steadfast adherence to doctrine, with the Church itself affirming that it does not change its teachings. However, critics argue that the faith of contemporary Catholics differs significantly from what was believed and practiced just a few decades ago, let alone centuries ago.
Doctrine itself has a wide range of meanings, with dogma being the strictest form of teaching drawn from divine revelation and considered infallible. Other doctrines, known as “common teachings,” are formulated by free opinion and can change over time in response to evolving understanding and historical circumstances.
In this article, we will explore ten significant changes, or developments, in the Church’s doctrine or practice, and discuss their impact on the faith and its followers.
10 Married Priests
Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, there have been instances where priests have been allowed to marry. Here are ten examples of married priests:
- St. Peter, the first pope, was married.
- St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to Ireland, was believed to be married.
- St. Augustine’s mother was married to a pagan, and his father was a Christian.
- St. John Chrysostom’s parents were both Christian and married.
- St. Paulinus of Nola was married before he became a priest.
- St. Hilary of Poitiers was married before he became a bishop.
- St. Felix of Nantes was married before he became a bishop.
- St. Remigius of Reims was married before he became a bishop.
- St. Ulrich of Augsburg encouraged priests to marry to avoid sexual misconduct.
- Pope Adrian II’s daughter was married to a nobleman.
These examples show that married priests were not unheard of in the early Church. However, mandatory celibacy for priests was established in the 12th century. The Catholic Church maintains that celibacy is a discipline, not a doctrine, and that it allows priests to fully dedicate themselves to their ministry. However, there have been calls for the Church to reconsider its stance on celibacy, particularly in light of the shortage of priests in some areas.
It is important to note that while celibacy is mandatory for diocesan priests in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, there are exceptions. For example, married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism can be ordained as Catholic priests and remain married. Additionally, married men who are already deacons in the Catholic Church can be ordained as priests.
9 Usury
The concept of usury has been a topic of debate for centuries, particularly in relation to charging or earning interest.
In the High Middle Ages, the Church viewed merchants and bankers who charged interest on loans as sinners and parasites. However, as the economy grew, opportunities for investment and gain increased, prompting a reevaluation of what constitutes usury.
According to the Fifth Lateran Council (1515), usury is defined as “when, from its use, a thing which produces nothing is applied to the acquiring of gain and profit without any work, any expense or any risk.” The Church has not changed this definition, but it now acknowledges that in the modern market economy, money in itself possesses true value, and charging interest for its use is not necessarily usury.
The growth of commerce and trade in the High Middle Ages saw the rise of the merchant as a member of a distinct class. However, a society unused to a money economy looked down on those who made a living buying, selling, and making more money. Financial gain through the resale of goods the merchant himself did not produce was considered a form of usury.
From antiquity through medieval times, there was a lack of competitive markets, and opportunities for investment were practically nil. Money could only be exchanged for goods for one’s own use or be hoarded and nothing else. Money was truly a barren and sterile commodity. To lend it expecting interest from a borrower who would not profit from its use was exploiting someone in need and, therefore, usurious.
The Church no longer views modern businessmen and bankers in the same light as medieval merchants and bankers. Even the Vatican now owns a bank, and Catholic institutions invest their money for a return. This change in perspective is due to the growth of competitive markets and opportunities for investment, which has led to a reevaluation of what constitutes usury.
8 Slavery
Slavery was a common practice in the Roman world during the time of Christianity’s emergence. However, the Church did not make any distinctions between slaves and freedmen, and church funds were even used to redeem slaves. In the 3rd century, a former slave rose to become Pope Callistus I.
Over time, as the Church gained more power and influence, slavery gradually disappeared. Nevertheless, owning another human being was not considered inherently immoral. St. Thomas Aquinas, a renowned 13th-century theologian, justified “natural slavery” by stating that humans with more reason were masters of those with less reason.
In the 15th century, the discovery of the New World and other lands by European explorers and conquistadors led to the building of colonial empires on the backs of enslaved and suffering natives. Despite condemnations of the practice by a succession of popes, exploitation of the natives continued. In 1452, Pope Nicholas V’s bull Dum Diversas granted Portugal permission to capture and subjugate unbelievers and reduce them to perpetual servitude.
Before the Civil War, the Jesuits were among the biggest slaveholders in Maryland. In 1863, Pope Gregory XVI condemned the “inhuman traffic” of “blacks or any other kind of persons.” However, his encyclical did not proclaim slavery as an evil, leaving room for pro-slavery forces.
It was not until Pope St. John Paul II’s 1993 encyclical Veritas Splendor that the Church unambiguously and unequivocally condemned slavery as intrinsically immoral and inexcusable under any circumstances.
7 Capital Punishment
For centuries, the Church’s stance on the death penalty was based on the biblical principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life.” The Church recognized the power of the state to execute criminals and even had an equal right to turn over heretics to the secular authorities to be put to death. St. Thomas Aquinas even called the execution of dangerous criminals “laudable and beneficial.”
However, from the 18th century onward, calls for abolition slowly but steadily grew louder. As social progress accelerated, capital punishment was seen as unnecessary and barbaric, and reforming rather than punishing the criminal became the focus. One country after another abolished the death penalty throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The Vatican dropped capital punishment in 1969.
In the 1993 Catechism, the Church recognized the right of the state to implement the death penalty only “in cases of extreme gravity,” which were so rare as to be “non-existent.” It became a matter of self-defense rather than punishment. St. John Paul also said that authorities can now render a criminal harmless “without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redemption” (Evangelium Vitae, 56).
Recently, the Church revised its Catechism once again, this time to declare capital punishment “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and deemed it “inadmissible” in all cases. The Church now recognizes the importance of protecting the dignity of every human life, even those who have committed heinous crimes.
6 Limbo
The concept of limbo has been a topic of debate in Catholicism for centuries. It was initially introduced by St. Thomas Aquinas as a place for unbaptized infants who were undeserving of Hell but were not admitted to Heaven due to the taint of Original Sin. They would spend eternity in ignorant bliss, neither experiencing the torments of Hell nor the joys of Beatific Vision in Heaven.
Despite not being an official doctrine, limbo became a common teaching in Catholicism and was defended by Pope Pius VI in 1794 against the heretical Jansenists who denied its existence. However, doubts about limbo lingered, and in 2005, the future Pope Benedict XVI expressed his skepticism about it.
Two years later, the Church’s International Theological Commission released a document titled “The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized,” which reduced limbo to a theological hypothesis and an “unduly restrictive view of salvation.” Catholics are still free to believe in limbo if they choose to, but they are also free to deny its existence.
Table: Limbo in Catholicism
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Limbo | A place for unbaptized infants who were undeserving of Hell but were not admitted to Heaven due to the taint of Original Sin. |
| Official Doctrine | Limbo was never an official doctrine in Catholicism. |
| Common Teaching | Limbo became a common teaching in Catholicism and was defended by Pope Pius VI in 1794. |
| Recent Stance | In 2007, the Church’s International Theological Commission reduced limbo to a theological hypothesis. |
| Belief | Catholics are free to believe in limbo if they choose to, but they are also free to deny its existence. |
5 Galileo
Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician who played a significant role in the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century. He is best known for his astronomical observations and the support he gave to the heliocentric theory proposed by Copernicus.
Galileo’s observations using his powerful new telescope were consistent with the heliocentric theory. He began to complete Copernicus’s arguments. In 1615, he was charged with heresy for undermining Scripture. Specifically, Joshua 10:12-13 says the Sun goes around the Earth.
In 1616, Pope Paul V and the Inquisition judged heliocentrism philosophically false and theologically erroneous. They ordered Galileo to desist from teaching it, and Copernicus’s book was banned. Later in 1632, Galileo published his Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican, putting forth solid arguments for heliocentrism. However, he misjudged Urban VIII, and Galileo was tried, found guilty of suspected heresy, and put under house arrest.
The mounting scientific proofs for heliocentrism in the following centuries made the Church’s position untenable. The bans on Revolutions and Galileo’s Dialogue were lifted in the 18th century. In 1992, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences delivered their report. It said Galileo’s judges were “incapable of dissociating faith from an age-old cosmology.” After 359 years, the Church finally declared Galileo “not guilty.”
Galileo’s contributions to astronomy and physics were significant and laid the foundation for modern science. He discovered the moons of Jupiter, observed sunspots, and made important contributions to the development of the scientific method. Despite the controversy surrounding his support for the heliocentric theory, Galileo’s legacy lives on as one of the most influential scientists in history.
| Key Points |
|---|
| Galileo’s observations using his telescope were consistent with the heliocentric theory proposed by Copernicus. |
| Galileo was charged with heresy for undermining Scripture and was ordered to desist from teaching heliocentrism. |
| Galileo’s Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican put forth solid arguments for heliocentrism but resulted in his trial and house arrest. |
| The Church’s position on heliocentrism became untenable due to mounting scientific proofs. |
| Galileo’s legacy as an astronomer, physicist, and mathematician laid the foundation for modern science. |
4 Cremation
Cremation has been a controversial topic within the Catholic Church. For centuries, the church believed that burial was the only appropriate way to dispose of a body, as the body is considered to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. However, in 1963, the Vatican amended the Code of Canon Law to allow cremation as long as it is not done as part of a pagan ritual or to deny the resurrection.
The Church still prefers burial as the most ideal way of laying the deceased to rest, but reasons for permitting cremation include sanitation concerns, overcrowding in cemeteries, and the expense of traditional burial. In 2016, the Church issued guidelines to be observed for Catholic cremation. The Church clarified that cremation does not affect the soul of the deceased nor does it prevent God from raising up the deceased’s body to new life.
However, the ashes must be put away in a cemetery plot, not divided, scattered, or kept at home. The Church believes that the dead body is not the private property of relatives, but rather a son of God who is part of the people of God. This means that the ashes should be treated with respect and dignity.
The Church’s stance on cremation raises questions about the saints whose anatomical parts were divvied up and scattered for veneration across Europe. The Vatican has no plans to reassemble them in the future, leaving the fate of these saints’ remains unknown.
3 Hell
The concept of Hell has been a topic of discussion and debate throughout history. Dante’s Inferno and the teachings of St. Augustine, St. Anselm, and St. Thomas Aquinas have influenced the popular image of Hell and its torments. The traditional belief that “few are saved, many are damned” has been reinforced by fire and brimstone preaching for centuries.
However, the modern Church places more emphasis on God’s love and teaches that Hell is not the physical place of torment described by Augustine and Aquinas. Instead, it is a state of separation from God that individuals choose freely and definitively. Pope St. John Paul II declared this in 1999, stating that “Hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy.”
Some theologians, such as Hans Urs von Balthasar, propose that everyone will eventually be saved. Pope Francis shares this optimism and hope for universal salvation, saying “I like to think of Hell as empty; I hope it is.” However, this is not an official doctrine of the Church.
Many mystics, including St. Veronica Giuliani and Sister Faustina Kowalska, have had visions of Hell and described it as a place of great torture. These visions have influenced the traditional belief in the damnation of many souls.
2 Ecumenism
Ecumenism refers to the movement that aims to promote unity among different Christian denominations. The term comes from the Greek word oikoumene, meaning “the inhabited world,” and reflects Jesus’ prayer for his followers to be one (John 17:21). Ecumenism has a complex history, as the Church has historically treated those outside its communion as schismatics and heretics. However, beginning in the Enlightenment, the impetus to work together across interdenominational lines increased.
The 20th century saw significant developments in the ecumenical movement. The 1910 Missionary Conference in Edinburgh marked the beginning of the modern ecumenical movement, although the Catholic Church was absent from this conference. Before 1962, Church documents still labeled non-Catholics as “schismatics” and “heretics.” However, there was a growing consciousness of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ, where an individual’s desire for salvation, regardless of creed, counts for more than membership in a visible organization.
In 1962, Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council, which brought the Catholic Church into the modern world and made sweeping changes. Other Christians were now called “separated brothers and sisters” or “brothers and sisters in Christ,” and other sects were acknowledged to have ecclesial, or saving, value. In 1964, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras met in Jerusalem and healed the schism between East and West with the kiss of peace.
The ecumenical movement has also extended beyond Christianity. Pope St. John Paul II famously kissed the Quran presented by an Iraqi delegation in 1999, showing respect for non-Christian religions. Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of interreligious cooperation in promoting peace and reconciliation.
1 The Inquisition
The Inquisition, a procedure initially used to uncover evidence in criminal cases, was first used against religious dissenters by Pope Gregory IX in 1231. He wanted to combat the Cathar and Waldensian heretics of southern France. Pope Innocent IV approved the use of torture in 1252. In 1478, Pope Sixtus IV authorized the notorious Spanish Inquisition, known for the public burning of heretics called auto-da-fe. The Grand Inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada alone boasted 2,000 victims.
It is uncertain how many people were executed by the Inquisition due to scant records. Anti-Catholic propaganda claims a blood-curdling tens of millions, but a more believable number may be several thousand. Perhaps 3,000 to 10,000 people were executed in the Spanish Inquisition. This number does not include the additional 100,000 to 125,000 who died in prison as the result of torture.
The fact that pope after pope approved the torture and killing of human beings is a hideous crime no amount of apologetics can rationalize. In 1994, Pope St. John Paul II asked his cardinals, “How can we be silent about so many kinds of violence perpetrated in the name of the faith?” He compared the Inquisition and the religious wars to “the crimes of Hitler’s Nazism and Marxist Stalinism.”
In 2000, the pope delivered a public prayer for pardon, “valid both for the dramas tied to the Inquisition as well as for the wounds of memory that are the consequence of it.”
