Catholic Moral Principles Flashcards

The natural law tradition in Catholic moral theology holds that moral norms are:

Answer: Discoverable by reason from human nature as created by God

Natural law holds that human reason can discern moral norms inscribed by God in human nature, making them accessible to all people, not only Catholics.

In the Catholic understanding of conscience, a person who follows an erroneous conscience in good faith:

Answer: Commits no moral fault if the error is not their responsibility

Catholic teaching holds that a sincere but invincibly erroneous conscience (one whose error cannot be avoided with due diligence) does not impute moral guilt to the person who follows it.

The encyclical 'Rerum Novarum' (1891) by Pope Leo XIII is considered the founding document of:

Answer: Catholic Social Teaching

Rerum Novarum ('Of New Things') addressed the condition of workers and industrial capitalism, establishing the principles of Catholic Social Teaching including workers' rights and private property.

Moral sin in Catholic theology requires which three conditions?

Answer: Serious matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent

For a sin to be mortal it must involve: (1) grave matter (objectively serious), (2) full knowledge that it is gravely wrong, and (3) deliberate consent of the will.

The Catholic 'hierarchy of truths' means that:

Answer: Some doctrines are more central to the faith and have different implications for ecumenical dialogue

Vatican II's Unitatis Redintegratio taught that Catholic doctrines vary in their centrality to the faith's foundation, with Trinity and Incarnation being most central, guiding ecumenical priorities.

What does 'ex opere operato' mean in Catholic sacramental theology?

Answer: Sacraments work by the very act performed, not by the merit of the minister

Ex opere operato ('from the work done') means that sacraments confer grace by virtue of the sacramental action itself, provided there is no obstacle in the recipient, not by the personal holiness of the minister.