After an unintentionally bombshell editorial by Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi - gun control is a moot point in Europe where guns are a rarity - many newspapers were quick to place the Vatican squarely behind gun control, adding more fuel to an already high octane debate.
But what did the Vatican really say? What should Catholics think? And what is actually at stake in the gun control debate?
First: the Vatican didn't say anything.
Fr. Lombardi was the one who placed himself squarely behind the Obama administration's proposals for stricter laws on gun control - not the Vatican. A quick glance at the venue of his statement - a personal editorial - should have been enough to make it clear that Fr. Lombardi was speaking as an individual, and not as Vatican spokesman.
And although it was an editorial, not an interview, the arguments that Fr. Lombardi uses aren't complete, seeming to indicate that his statement was pretty off the cuff.
A: "No one can be under the illusion that limiting their number and use would be enough to impede horrendous massacres in the future."
B: "Arms, throughout the world, are also instruments for legitimate defense."
C: "But it would be much worse if we were to satisfy ourselves with only words."
In other words, gun control isn't the real solution - at most, it could be part of one - but, hey, we've got to do something.
Second: what Catholics should think.
What escaped most reporters' attention was the second half of Fr. Lombardi's editorial, where he actually did give us a hint of the Church's take - not on gun control itself, but on guns in general.
The problem isn't the guns. The problem is the world: our world makes guns deadly. Granted, guns are designed to kill. But while murder is always evil, killing isn't. And guns aren't either.
There are circumstances in which killing is good or at least permissible. All of us kill to eat. Hunters kill animals for meat and vegans kill plants for salad. All of us have the right to defend ourselves and those under our care - even if that means being forced to take the life of another. The problem with our world is that many have to make use of this second right far too often. Violence breeds violence.
The Catholic solution? Conversion. Stop the violence and there is no more need for violence in self-defense.
And gun control? That's a prudential field where there is no concrete Catholic teaching. Just the principle do no evil, and common sense. It's fine for Fr. Lombardi to believe that weapons should be abolished. It's perfectly fine for other Catholics to share the opposite view. There is no right answer.
Third: what's in play. Statistics, criminals, lunatics, and law.
Wherever there's public debate, statistics abound. It's true of abortion, and it's true of gun control. Common sense would initially seem to favor gun control: less guns equals less guns used to hurt people. But opponents of gun control often argue that taking guns off the streets principally affects law-abiding citizens. Hardened criminals are unlikely to hand in their .45s just because it's the law. From this point of view, strict gun control would actually increase violent crime by tipping the balance in favor of the perps. On the other hand, easy access to guns makes it easier for lunatics to go on shooting sprees like the Newtown tragedy.
Finally, there's the law itself. Change may be necessary. Fr. Lombardi could be right to support stricter gun control. But even if he is, how those changes are made is also important.
Currently, the right to bear arms is part of the US constitution. Guns aren't necessarily a natural inalienable right like religious freedom. But legally they have the same status. There is a correct way to change or limit that constitutional right, and an incorrect way. The wrong choice could easily weaken all of our rights, and not just the right to bear arms.
With all that in mind, Catholics have to decide for themselves. Our fallen world abounds in tough decisions with few alternatives, and often a society just has to pick its poison. No solution will be perfect.
Go here for the official English text of Fr. Lombardi's editorial.
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