Conscience and Catholicism: The Nature and Function of Conscience in Contemporary Roman Catholic Moral Theology

The understanding and use of conscience in Roman Catholicism has undergone evaluation within the broader efforts of the renewal of moral theology called for by Vatican II. A review of the literature reveals that among contemporary Catholic moral theologians there are differences in the way conscience is understood and employed. These differences are reflected in the distinct perspectives of ^D< ‘revisionist’ and ‘non-revisionist’ or ‘traditional’ Roman Catholic moral theologians. Because conscience is a central issue in Roman Catholic moral theology and pastoral practice, and since ‘freedom of conscience’ and the ‘rights of conscience’ are often invoked in response to both theological issues and pastoral concerns, an analysis and evaluation of contemporary theological understandings of conscience is called for. This book studies the nature and function of conscience in contemporary Roman Catholic moral theology. It does so by examining, comparing and evaluating the ways in which conscience is understood by two representative contemporary moral theologians: Germain Grisez who represents the non-revisionist or more traditional school Roman Catholic moral theology and Bernard Hring who represents the revisionist school.