Catechism of the Catholic Church · Part Three › Section One › Chapter One · Article 6 (§§1776–1802)
Paragraphs · 27
The Catechism's text is under copyright, so each paragraph is quoted briefly here with a link to the full text at vatican.va.
Moral Conscience
- §1776 — "Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment....vatican.va
I. The Judgment of Conscience
- §1777 — Moral conscience, present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil.vatican.va
- §1778 — Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed.vatican.va
- §1779 — It is important for every person to be sufficiently present to himself in order to hear and follow the voice of his conscience. This requirement of interiority is all the more necessary as life often distracts us from any reflection, self-examination or introspection:vatican.va
- §1780 — The dignity of the human person implies and requires uprightness of moral conscience. Conscience includes the perception of the principles of morality (synderesis); their application in the given circumstances by practical discernment of reasons and goods; and finally judgment about concrete acts yet to be performed or already performed.vatican.va
- §1781 — Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for the acts performed. If man commits evil, the just judgment of conscience can remain within him as the witness to the universal truth of the good, at the same time as the evil of his particular choice.vatican.va
- §1782 — Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. "He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience.vatican.va
II. The Formation of Conscience
- §1783 — Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator.vatican.va
- §1784 — The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience.vatican.va
- §1785 — In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice.vatican.va
III. To Choose in Accord With Conscience
- §1786 — Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.vatican.va
- §1787 — Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.vatican.va
- §1788 — To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.vatican.va
- §1789 — Some rules apply in every case: - One may never do evil so that good may result from it; - the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."vatican.va
IV. Erroneous Judgment
- §1790 — A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.vatican.va
- §1791 — This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin."vatican.va
- §1792 — Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.vatican.va
- §1793 — If - on the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot be imputed to him.vatican.va
- §1794 — A good and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity proceeds at the same time "from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith."vatican.va
In Brief
- §1795 — "Conscience is man's most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths" (GS 16).vatican.va
- §1796 — Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act.vatican.va
- §1797 — For the man who has committed evil, the verdict of his conscience remains a pledge of conversion and of hope.vatican.va
- §1798 — A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator.vatican.va
- §1799 — Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.vatican.va
- §1800 — A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience.vatican.va
- §1801 — Conscience can remain in ignorance or make erroneous judgments. Such ignorance and errors are not always free of guilt.vatican.va
- §1802 — The Word of God is a light for our path. We must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. This is how moral conscience is formed.vatican.va
Scripture cited · 14 verses
Tobit 4:15 · Psalm 119:105 · Matthew 7:12 · Luke 6:31 · Acts 24:16 · Romans 1:32 · Romans 2:14 · Romans 2:15 · Romans 2:16 · Romans 14:21 · 1 Corinthians 8:12 · 1 Peter 3:21 · 1 John 3:19 · 1 John 3:20