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Dear Father Angelo,

I am a friar …

I am working on the thesis of spiritual license (which has as its object the spirituality of the offering of life) and in a chapter I have to deal with the theology of martyrdom. I read an article by Rahner (K. Rahner, Dimensions of martyrdom. For an expansion of the classical concept, “Concilium” 19 [3/1983], 370-371) who proposed to broaden the classical concept of martyrdom by including the ” fighters “for the faith or justice linked to the faith of liberation theology; in support he cited a passage from St. Thomas from the commentary on the sentences (fourth book, distinction 49) in which St. Thomas affirms that the one who defended the common good from an attempt to corrupt the faith can be said to be a martyr. It seems to me a very dangerous thesis because at this point there would no longer be a substantial difference between the Christian martyr, who should always be helpless and non-violent, and the Muslim “martyr” who dies in conscience fighting for the defense of his faith (in attacks not necessarily suicidal). How to interpret this reference to St. Thomas?

Thank you very much for your attention

Brother …

Dear brother,

1. It is necessary first of all to bring back the thought of St. Thomas.

Speaking of the halo of martyrdom he says that: “thus when someone undergoes death for the common good not referred to Christ, he does not merit an aureole.

But if this is referred to Christ, he will merit an aureole and will be a martyr, as, for example, if someone defends the republic from the assault of enemies who are bent on corrupting faith in Christ and undergoes death in such defense”. (IV Sentences, d. 49, q. 5 a 3, 11).

2. In other words, those who died for political reasons, even though they are very noble, may be called martyrs of the homeland, but not yet martyrs of Christ. Such, for example, are the dead of the Fosse Ardeatine, of Marzabotto or of the Benedicta.

Only those who die because of their faith or defending a Christian virtue are  martyr of Christ as happened to Saint Maria Goretti who cried out to the one who was about to use violence: “It is sin, God does not want it. Go to hell”.

How many girls are killed together with rape, but no one thinks of instructing a cause for beatification linked to martyrdom for them. Maria Goretti, on the other hand, was killed while she intended to defend her purity because of her Christian faith.

3. Similarly, according to St. Thomas, martyrs are those who die fighting to defend the population from those who “intend to destroy the faith in Christ”.The case presented by St. Thomas is not at all similar to that of the Islamic attackers who at that moment are not attacked by anyone.

At that moment they do not defend their faith, if anything they offend it.

The same thing should be said of a Christian who began to kill freely those who did not have the same faith as him and was killed in that struggle. In this case the Christian is killed not because he is a Christian, but because he is an unjust aggressor.

Even if at that moment he shouted praising Jesus Christ, he would not die in defense of his faith because he is not attacked by anyone.

4. Martyr is Msgr. Romero while he  defends his people in the name of God.

The day before he was killed while celebrating Mass, he addressed those in duty saying: “In the name of God, in the name of the suffering people, whose lamentations rise up to heaven every day more tumultuous, I ask you, I beseech you, I urge you, I order you: stop the repression! “

Here the Holy Bishop refers to a sin of which in the past it was said that “crying to heaven for vengeance”.

Rahner at the end of his article proposes to theologians to study how the concept of martyr can be applied to those who are killed while striving for the affirmation of justice and peace in the world, justice and peace being authentic values of the Gospel.

One would say: if this is the case, all those who were slain by the Red Brigades would deserve the title of martyr of Christ. I am thinking of Vittorio Bachelet, of Judge Coco, of Guido Rossa, a worker, of Aldo Moro and of many others who were killed not because they were Christians, but because in the fulfillment of their duty they represented what they intended to eliminate in the eyes of the Red Brigades.

The least that can be said is that the text of St. Thomas does not suggest this, because it speaks expressly of this case: “But if this is referred to Christ, he will merit an aureole and will be a martyr, as, for example, if someone defends the republic from the assault of enemies who are bent on corrupting faith in Christ and undergoes death in such defense”.  (utpote si Rempublicam defendat ab hostium impugnatione qui fidem Cristi corrumpere moliuntur et in tali defensione mortem sustineat).

While I wish you a good job for your thesis, I assure you of my remembrance in prayer and I bless you.

Father Angelo