What are Capital Sins?Fr. William SaundersWhy are the capital sins called the capital sins? The Penitent MagdaleneDonatello The capital sins are the source of all sins. The word capital derives from the Latin "caput," meaning "head." Note that they are not called "capital" because they are prevalent around a nation's capital or capitol. Actually, St. Thomas Aquinas preferred to use the word "vice" instead of "sin" when addressing this issue. He stated, "A capital vice is that which has an exceedingly desirable end so that in his desire for it, a man goes on to the commission of many sins,...
