Vatican bishop points to modern social sins

Vatican City, Mar 11, 2008 / 00:02 am

A Vatican official has listed a set of “social sins” to draw attention to sinful acts that have social ramifications in an interview with the Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano. 

The list which includes drug abuse, pollution, and human embryo experimentation spawned sensationalist titles from the secular press such as “Recycle or go to Hell, warns Vatican” or “Seven More Sins, Thanks to Vatican”.

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, the regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary at the Vatican, examined today’s social sins in an interview published Sunday. 

"While sin used to concern mostly the individual, today it has mainly a social resonance, due to the phenomenon of globalization," said Bishop Girotti.

“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 Bishop Girotti, according to L’Osservatore.

The bishop classified as social sins drug abuse, "morally dubious" experiments such as embryonic stem cell research, polluting the environment, excessive wealth, contributing to income inequality, and creating poverty.

The seven social sins are:
1. "Bioethical” violations such as birth control
2. "Morally dubious" experiments such as stem cell research
3. Drug abuse
4. Polluting the environment
5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor
6. Excessive wealth
7. Creating poverty