NEW YORK, U.S.A., March 10, 2008: The Vatican has put together a list of seven “social” sins that includes excessive wealth, drug abuse, littering, genetic tampering and creating poverty.
Echoing the concept of the seven cardinal vices — set to paper by Pope Gregory I in the sixth century — the new list adds a social dimension, Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, said in an interview yesterday with the Vatican’s official newspaper l’Osservatore Romano. According to Catholicism, these are “mortal sins,” sins which could result in a person being consigned to hell.
“You offend God not only by stealing, taking the Lord’s name in vain or coveting your neighbor’s wife, but also by wrecking the environment carrying out morally debatable experiments that manipulate DNA or harm embryos,” said Girotti, who is responsible for the body that oversees confessions under the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI.
The seven social sins are: 1.”Bioethical” violations such as birth control; 2. “Morally dubious” experiments such as stem cell research; 3. Using or dealing drugs; 4. Polluting the environment; 5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor; 6. Excessive wealth; 7. Creating poverty. The seven cardinal vices leading to sin are: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed and Sloth.