Following the biblical tradition, Catholicism greatly emphasizes forgiveness and justice by seeking to balance the desire for justice and the need for forgiveness. At the individual level, that entails forgiving those who harm us while seeking justice. However, forgiveness and justice appear to be contradictory concepts. How can we forgive someone for a wrong while simultaneously asking that they be punished in accordance with the dictates of justice? In this essay, I will examine the Catholic teachings on forgiveness and... Read more