Wezwanie do formacji sumienia w świetle nauczania Jana Pawła II

Abstract

The question of the conscience occupies a central place in John Paul II’s moral teaching. Especially a lot is said about it in the encyclical Veritatis splendor that shows the conscience in its relation to truth and liberty. The encyclical is a response to contemporary man being morally at a loss, which is a derivative of the conscience crisis. The Pope stresses that the conscience, in order to properly fulfil its function, has to be constantly formed in truth. This follows from the very structure of the conscience that is not fully mature for making moral evaluations. Moreover, one has to take into consideration a possibility of wrong judgements made by the conscience as result of a variety ot external conditions. The Holy Father emphasizes that the right to act in accordance with one’s own conscience is parallel with the duty to form one’s conscience in truth. Although forming the conscience is everyone’s duty, it regards young people in a special way, as it is necessary in the process of self-education. A man’s development including his moral maturation takes place in various circumstances. Hence the family, school, parish, men of culture, scientists, politicians and representatives of mass media – apart from their personal responsibility tor conscience formation – have an especially great role to play.