Vatikanen har återigen blivit missförstådd

Många tidningar har i dagarna gått ut med stora rubriker om SJU NYA DÖDSSYNDER, ofta dessutom i anslutning till fullständigt galna förklaringar av vad en dödssynd innebär. Några svenska tidningar som skrivit om det är SvD, Aftonbladet och Sydsvenskan.

Jag blev förstås lite orolig att Vatikanen givit vika för tidsandan och, i strid med all romersk tradition, hipp som happ introducerat sju nya dödssynder lite på en höft sådär. Jag gick lite närmare källan, till de amerikanska jesuiternas veckomagasin America, för att undersöka saken ordentligare.

Lugnande ord mötte mig i artikeln Seven (New) Deadly Sins? Or Not?:

Contrasting an older understanding of sin as more individualistic in nature, Bishop Girotto noted that sin "today...has an impact and resonance that is above all social, because of the great phenomenon of globalization." He pointed to a number of "social sins" (by now a familiar term to Catholics accustomed to hearing it applied to racism, sexism and anti-Semitism). Among those he mentioned were economic injustice, environmental irresponsibility, accumulation of excessive wealth and genetic experimentation with unforeseen consequences.

The media's reporting, however, transmogrified this into something different. "Seven New Deadly Sins," wrote the Times Online, mistaking the main point of the interview, which was that these new social sins were in fact different in nature for those more individualist "deadly sins," which focused more on regulating a variety of human passions. "Vatican Lists New Sinful Behavior," wrote the Associated Press, as if accumulating excessive wealth hadn't been already condemned by the church for centuries, and, before that by--well, Jesus for one.

...

The Vatican's intent seemed to be less about adding to the traditional "deadly" sins (lust, anger, sloth, pride, avarice, gluttony, envy) than reminding the world that sin has a social dimension, and that participation in institutions that themselves sin is an important point upon which believers needed to reflect.

In other words, if you work for a company that pollutes the environment, you have something more important to consider for Lent than whether or not to give up chocolate.

Och så var det med den saken.