Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Philosophy and Religion
First Advisor
Aaron Graham
Second Advisor
Katherine Moses
Third Advisor
Kyle Fritz
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The Catholic Church, when it revised its paragraph in the Catechism that concerned the teaching on the death penalty, many believed that this seemed to contradict the Church’s traditional teaching on the death penalty, which has included the writings of thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas. However, after applying principles of his natural law theory, this apparent contradiction goes away, and the full Catholic teaching on the death penalty comes to light. Several key theses of Thomist natural law will be described which pertain to the metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical questions it seeks to answer. This will be the backbone of my paper as I seek to differentiate it from other theories of ethics. To argue that traditional thinkers like Aquinas would agree with the Church’s modern teaching on the death penalty, I will explain how Thomist natural law highlights three key principles that relate to the death penalty, all of which do not contradict it. Further, I will closely examine the revised paragraph in the Catechism and unpack particular phrases in it that relate to Thomist natural law and modern society. I will find that, while the death penalty is not intrinsically wrong, it is no longer the best available means for safeguarding the common good.
Recommended Citation
Abele, Diego G. T., "Aquinas in the Twenty-First Century: A Reconciliation With the Catholic Church’s Teaching on the Death Penalty" (2026). Honors Theses. 3429.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3429
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