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“The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus’ message,” wrote Pope St. John Paul II. Thus begins one of the most important Papal writings of the modern Catholic Church. Thirty years ago this past March, Pope St. John Paul II released the encyclical Evangelium Vitae on the value and inviolability of human life.
To the issue of life, the Pope brought his extraordinary faith, intellect, life experience and devotion to humanity. Evangelium Vitae is built upon an impregnable foundation of Holy Scripture, various documents of the Second Vatican Council, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and teachings of such Church powerhouses as St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. John Damascene and St. Alphonsus Ligouri. A reading of Evangelium Vitae is a Biblically-based journey through the history of humanity from Adam and Eve through Jesus’s mission of salvation on Earth and our redemption through his sacrificial suffering and his triumphant Resurrection. Pope St. John Paul II prepared Evangelium Vitae with the assistance and consultation of his brother bishops.
As Pope St. John Paul II so profoundly demonstrates, the Church’s teachings on life are not some 20th Century invention or a reactionary response to modernity. Rather they are integral to the history of humanity and infused with the Sacred Scriptures which ought to be guiding humanity’s existence but too often are ignored or disparaged. From the very beginnings of the first Christian communities, the Church has recognized the value of human life and condemned the taking of innocent human life, including that of pre-born children.
Fundamental to Pope St. John Paul II’s defense of life is the reality of the creation of life by God. “Man’s life comes from God; it is his gift, his image and imprint, a sharing in his breath life,” the Pope wrote. “God therefore is the sole Lord of this life; man cannot do with it as he wills.” (See paragraph 39.
Inseparably linked with this reality of life is God’s commandment “You shall not kill.” From this basis, Pope St. John Paul II argued against the taking of life through a myriad of means. Repeatedly Pope St. John Paul II referred to this commandment, and even devotes an entire chapter of the encyclical to the commandment. The Pope, however, does acknowledge and support the taking of human life in legitimate defense of one’s self or others.
Another major theme in the Pope’s writing is the conflict in our society between life and death. “Today we too find ourselves in the midst of a dramatic conflict between the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘culture of life,’” he wrote. (See paragraph 50.) In Evangelium Vitae, the Pope famously argued against the “Culture of Death” so pervasive in modern society.
Evangelium Vitae is not an attack on abortion as some critics argue. While abortion is a major focus of the encyclical, Evangelium Vitae also addresses many other threats to human life and dignity including euthanasia, contraception, artificial procreation, infanticide, suicide, assisted suicide, murder, contraception, experimentation on human embryos, population control, capital punishment, and poverty caused by unjust distribution of wealth and resources. “It is impossible to catalogue completely the vast array of threats to human life, so many are the forms, whether explicit or hidden, in which they appear today!” the Pope wrote (see paragraph 10).
Pope St. John Paul II rejected the use of democracy and majority rule to legalize abortion and euthanasia and codify various means of taking innocent human life. “To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others” he wrote. “This is the death of true freedom: "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin" (Jn 8:34).” (See paragraph 20.) In paragraph 57, he argued: “The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end or as a means to a good end. As far as the right to life is concerned, every innocent human being is absolutely equal to all others.” In paragraph 101, the Pope declared, “There can be no true democracy without a recognition of every person’s dignity and without respect for his or her rights. Nor can there be true peace unless life is defended and promoted.”
The Pope’s statements on democracy and abortion derive from his conception of democracy and freedom. Freedom and democracy are not the ability to do whatever one desires to do or not do. Rather, both involve the ability of the individual to do what is right and just in accordance with the truth established by God. He wrote in paragraph 70: “Democracy cannot be idolized to the point of making it a substitute for morality or a panacea for immorality. Fundamentally, democracy is a "system" and as such is a means and not an end. Its "moral" value is not automatic, but depends on conformity to the moral law to which it, like every other form of human behaviour, must be subject: in other words, its morality depends on the morality of the ends which it pursues and of the means which it employs.”
Pope St. John Paul II observed that there are many factors driving the “Culture of Death” and the myriad of attacks upon life and human dignity. One of the core factors is a disordered view of human freedom. “There is an even more profound aspect which needs to be emphasized: freedom negates and destroys itself, and becomes a factor leading to the destruction of others, when it no longer recognizes and respects its essential link with the truth,” he wrote. (See paragraph 19).
Another important factor driving the ”Culture of Death” is the rejection of God and truth. In paragraph 96, the Pope wrote: “Where God is denied and people live as though he did not exist, or his commandments are not taken into account, the dignity of the human person and the inviolability of human life also end up being rejected or compromised.”
Pope St. John Paul II was most forceful and most direct when addressing the issue of abortion:
Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops-who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine-I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. (paragraph 62).
While Evangelium Vitae is a rejection of the ‘Culture of Death’ and its many manifestations, it is also a celebration of life and an encouragement to promote the “Culture of Life.” The Pope addresses this call to action to the Catholic faithful, healthcare professionals, public officials, and the mass media, among others. “The Gospel of life is not for believers alone: it is for everyone.,” he wrote in paragraph 101. “The issue of life and its defence and promotion is not a concern of Christians alone.”
In one of the encyclical’s most moving sections, Pope St. John Paul II spoke to women who have had abortion. He spoke with compassion and understanding and love. “The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” he wrote in paragraph 99.
In his encyclical, Pope St. John Paul does not neglect the role of Our Blessed Mother Mary in the Gospel of Life. He illustrates her role using the examples of the Annunciation which has already occurred, and the encounter between the Woman and the Red Dragon foretold in Revelation 12. “Mary thus helps the Church to realize that life is always at the centre of a great struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness,” he wrote in paragraph 104. He ended Evangelium Vitae with a profound impassioned prayer to Our Blessed Mother for her intercession with the cause of life.
If you have never read a Pope St. John Paul II encyclical, start with Evangelium Vitae. If you have read writings by Pope St. John Paul II but have never read Evangelium Vitae, then read it at your earliest opportunity. You can find it online at https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae.html
Evangelium Vitae is the culmination of a life lived in selfless service to God, Church and humanity under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. It is an integral part of the treasury of faith writings that guide the faithful on our life journey with the Church and Christ to Eternity.
Bryan J. Dickerson is an author and historian specializing in military and naval history, and Catholicism. He earned his BA in History from Rowan University (NJ), MA in American History from Monmouth University (NJ) and a graduate Certificate in Archival Studies from Louisiana State University. His writings have appeared online and in print in such publications as Columbia (the magazine of the Knights of Columbus) and Celebrate Life (the magazine of the American Life League). He is a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a Past Grand Knight of a council in New Jersey. His book The Liberators of Pilsen: the U.S. 16th Armored Division in World War II Czechoslovakia was published by McFarland Books in 2018 and his book Dive Bomber Down: James A. Nist Naval Aviator in the Pacific War is now available from McFarland Books. He has also self-published sixeen books, including In the Name of COVID: The Assault on Religious Freedom in 2020. A former U.S. Navy Reserve Religious Program Specialist 1st Class (Fleet Marine Force), he mobilized and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom twice. He and his wife Lisa have four children and live in southern New Jersey.
