The analogy I drew does require suspending our current reality and applying these other ideas. But you have provided me with an even better example in Cardinal Mahoney.

Firstly, I agree that moving abusive priests from one parish to another (after receiving goofy 70s-era “psychological rehabilitation”) was a horrible idea. The scandal caused by these priests and the bishops who exercised such grievously poor judgment, or who were afraid of the truth coming out, still hurts the Church to this day.

But let’s look at another aspect of this case: Cardinal Mahoney is not in jail. Why not? I don’t know, but I would guess that either he didn’t actually break a law by moving them around or the statute of limitations had run out or something like that. Yet, his actions were evil. We hope and believe that he has asked for forgiveness from God in those he indirectly hurt by moving these abusers around, and that God has forgiven him.

Yet, there is temporal punishment due for these sins, ones which cannot be paid here below (and the State isn’t even trying to punish him). Purgatory awaits. His sins are forgiven; he is in a state of sanctifying grace, yet this temporal punishment must be paid, either here on earth or before he enters Heaven. This is the reason for Purgatory. If God didn’t put him there after his death, he would throw himself there to be purified of attachment to sin and to pay this temporal punishment.

Of course, he could obtain a plenary indulgence and have this punishment paid. Hopefully he will; the Church offers those graces through the merits of Christ and the communion of saints, but we must avail ourselves of it.

I do not expect you to believe in Purgatory. It is not explicitly found in the Bible, and those passages that do reference it are interpreted by Protestants to mean something else (there’s that pesky issue of interpretive authority again).

I would say: exactly, Jesus paid for our sins through his blood, and he forgives us, so…

If the State were following (Protestant) Christian principles, once that person repented and was forgiven by God, the slate should be washed clean, no extra punishment or restitution should be needed. God has forgiven him and his sin is forgiven, so we should to.

But this woman was repentant and asked for forgiveness, and (we believe that) God in his mercy forgave her. So _assuming the State were to implement Protestant principles_, she shouldn’t have to go to jail at all. Do you agree?

The Catholic position is also the one that is most reasonable (even to non-believers): you hit someone over the head and took their money. You may have repented and been forgiven by God, but at the very least, you are going to pay back the money you took from that person and pay their medical bills. You can’t just say “well God forgave me, so you should to and it should be a done deal with nothing more for me to pay back.”

I think there are a lot of things that we pay for in this life. We pay if we don’t invest our time wisely and plan ahead, we pay for crimes when caught. That is different than paying to God for our crimes, our sins. I think purgatory is a prime example of how man wants to see this injustice settled directly by the suffering of the person, and meted out by God. That settles for us this idea that revenge is the Lords, he will avenge me. But, that the person is presented himself as justified, not justified alone in Christ because of Christs suffering is I think, a theological twist.
To me it smacks of the Church seeking control of helping you ease the suffering through indugences, which they distribute. If they distribute them, then they have power, afterall, who wants to suffer a punishment? That punishment, it used to be taught, was for possibly decades or even centuries after their loved ones departed. I understand that is no longer believed, is that correct?

But, back to your thesis- I see no inconsistency in applying the law of the land to punish someone to the fullest extent, and Christ’s forgiveness of those sins commited at the same time. God has governments over us for a purpose, and we are to obey them with some noted exceptions.

God bless,
Garret