https://doi.org/10.25167/sth.6076
John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium vitae, published in 1995, is an important document devoted entirely to the issue of the value and respect for human life in the context of contemporary attitudes and advances in medicine. In justifying its positions, the document, addressed to all people of good will, uses not only biblical arguments and those derived from Church tradition, but also draws on rational arguments and convictions that are accessible and recognizable to every person in their conscience. For theology, the encyclical is important in the area of contemporary bioethics and, as such, constitutes a significant contribution to the development of Catholic moral teaching, mainly on the issue of respect for human life. The subject of this text is to present and justify the thesis on the contribution of Evangelium vitae to the development of moral teaching. The author does this by using specific examples of positions contained in the papal document. The thesis of this article is most clearly explained by the encyclical’s position on the death penalty. Next, the article discusses the contribution made by the papal document in clarifying the distinctions on the issue of euthanasia. Furthermore, the position on the practice of transplants is another detailed aspect in the development of the Catholic moral message on the issue of human life. Finally, the issue of political ethics raised, which is a consequence of the positions contained in Evangelium vitae, to the development of which the encyclical also contributed. Reflections on selected aspects of the document, which contributed to the development of the Church’s teaching on morality, do not exhaust or conclude research on this subject.
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