Pope Francis and Secular Government

 On the way from Oklahoma to California, we listened to the whole 36 lectures on medieval England.   It was interesting, and it doesn't surprise me that the lecturer is at Catholic University.  

One thing she mentioned is that the Church doesn't shed blood.   When people were executed or otherwise punished back in historical times it was by the civil authorities, even when the crime was a religious one like heresy or witchcraft.

THis made me think of capital punishment and specifically the new papal statements.   I don't think I've seen an article on either side that mentions that what Pope Francis is doing with his doctrine is asserting moral authority of the Church, specifically himself, over the poliitical State.   Because the Church has never had capital punishment.   It supported it for judicial political authorities.   Additionally, the vast supermajority of Catholics will never have anything to do directly with capital punishment.   They will not execute anyone.   At best, they will vote for people who support it, or they will think in their heads that it is OK in principle at least.    

So it's a very political question on one side, and a thought-control question on the other side.     Hardly ever a directly moral question at all, that I can tell.    Plus, just as individual Christians are in most cases morally allowed to be pacifists, as monks are, I think states have always been considered free not to make use of the death penalty.   Pope Francis may be right to invoke human dignity in his disapproval of the practice, but I'm not sure he has the authorization to walk into the State's province in that way.    Anyway, that question will stay hung in the air until I find a way to search-engine it to find a discussion targeted to that aspect of it.