[Jeff Chandler]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but what is your knowledge of the Church's view on capital punishment. Is it malum in se, or malum prohibitum?

My friends point to the Catechism, whose teaching on the matter has changed after 2000 years of history and the Hebrew Bible before that.

[ArrogantBustard]

My understanding of Catholic teaching on capital punishment is that it is neither. Like warfare or individual self defense it can be necessary (even obligatory), but should be only employed as a last resort. Employing them in circumstances which do not justify them would be malum in se. "Last resort" does not mean that all other methods of resolving the problem must actually be tried; if a reasonable person will see that they won't work they can be bypassed. Some Catholics (Popes B16 and JP2, for example) offer the prudential judgement that modern States can protect society from murderers by means short of killing them. I'm not as optimistic as they are.