In a previous post, it was discussed how Catholics could not participate in Seder Meals. The reasoning was that for one to participate in a distinctly religious act like a Seder Meal is a form of external worship. When external worship does not conform to internal belief, then objectively speaking one has sinned against the Seventh Commandment. In other words, it is a form of lying. This applies not just to the Passover meal, according to St. Thomas, but to all of the legal ceremonies of the Old Law. Each of the ceremonies of the Old Law expressed the expectation of the coming Messiah, those of the New Law reflect His having already come. Regardless of what one actually believes, to participate in one of these ceremonies is to profess that Christ is yet to come. Once articulated this way, it seems rather straightforward. But there is another action associated with the Old Law that is performed with far more frequency today than Seder Meals—Circumcision. Have all those who have been circumcised, or more accurately their parents who chose to have them circumcised, then sinned gravely?
St. Paul is rather straightforward in his condemnation of those who would choose to be circumcised. In Galatians 5:2-4, the Apostle to the Gentiles says, “if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again, I declare to every man who has himself circumcised that he is bound to observe the entire law. You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” St. Paul is reiterating and expounding upon what the Council of Jerusalem declared regarding the practice of Circumcision (c.f. Acts 15). Baptism became the new circumcision, the means by which both the circumcised and uncircumcised entered the New Covenant (Col 2:11-12). It was not necessary to first enter the Old in order to enter the New. So, it seems that, just like the Seder Meal, one should not ever be circumcised.
A Possible Exception?
The problem with this view however is that St. Paul, on the heels of the Church’s declaration, tells the Gentile Timothy to be circumcised in order to be more effective in his ministry to the Jews (c.f. Acts 16:4). What this “exception” opens up is the possibility that the act of circumcision can be performed for non-religious reasons. But the fact that St. Paul refuses that Titus be circumcised means that circumcision is OK as long as it is not done for religious reasons (Gal 2:3-5). And in this way, it is vastly different from the Seder meal in which the religious element cannot be removed. Whether the only exception is when ministering to the Jews or if there might be others then does not necessarily matter. What matters is that Circumcision can be viewed as a non-religious action and thus it is not intrinsically wrong for a Catholic to be circumcised.
During the Middle Ages, the Church spoke authoritatively regarding the practice of circumcision and disallowed it in all cases. Most prominent among the decrees is that of Pope Eugene IV who, in the Papal Bull Cantate Domino declared that “all who glory in the name of Christian not to practice circumcision either before or after baptism, since whether or not they place their hope in it, it cannot possibly be observed without loss of eternal salvation.” It is clear from his language that again, it is not the physical act of circumcision per se that is the problem but that it is impossible to separate it from its religious meaning given the current climate. Only Jews were circumcised during the Middle Ages clearing the way for either irreligion (for those who professed it did something) or scandal. What this does not say however is that somehow Jews, because they are circumcised before Baptism are somehow lost. That would obviously go against the testimony of Scripture (c.f. Romans 11:25-29). Pope Eugene IV makes it crystal clear when he says “Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart “into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock.” Jews, despite being circumcised can still be saved through Baptism and remaining within the “bosom and unity of the Church.”
Therapeutic Circumcision
If we advance four hundred years, arguments are being put forward for therapeutic reasons why circumcision may be advisable. In other words, there may be non-religious reasons for being circumcised, reasons that once it became more commonplace such that its practice would not link a person intrinsically to the Jewish faith. It was from within this climate that the Church began to change her tone and now begin to look at the morality of circumcision from within the context . Pope Pius XII, in a discourse from 1952 even explicitly taught that circumcision was morally permissible “if, in accordance with therapeutic principles, it prevents a disease that cannot be countered in any other way.” Nontherapeutic reasons have yet to receive an endorsement from the Church and so it should be assumed that, although there may be morally licit nontherapeutic reasons (like Timothy), there needs to be further development and understanding what those reasons might be.
It is instructive to delve deeper into the particularities of the therapeutic viewpoint so as to understand more deeply when it is wrong. Therapeutic modalities are governed by the principle of totality which is meant to protect bodily integrity. The principle of totality and integrity says that we may not modify the body of a person except in the case of medical necessity or to restore proper functioning. Summarizing, the Catechism says about bodily integrity, “[E]xcept when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against moral law” (CCC 2297).
Strictly speaking, circumcision as it is commonly performed within Western medicine is not a mutilation or a sterilization. Both of these are related to bodily function. Circumcision does not alter the functioning of the penis. It is however an amputation and is medically defined as such (posthectomy). Thus we cannot perform a circumcision for nontherapeutic reasons.
Did God then command something that was wrong in commanding the Jews to be circumcised? The medical circumcision that we perform today is different from that of the Old Covenant Jews in the time of Jesus. They did not amputate the entire foreskin but instead made a ceremonial (although probably no less painful) cut of a flap of the foreskin called a Brit Milah. Obviously, this would not be a full amputation like we currently perform today, called a Brit Peri’ah. This may also mitigate the “Timothy exception” since his circumcision was not an amputation. This is mentioned as well because we are likely not dealing with the same thing, even though we call them both “circumcision”. But even if they are then the permissibility then hinges on whether or not there are therapeutic reasons for doing so.
This is a question for medical science and not for theology and so the Church as remained relatively silent in recent times about the issue (unfortunately). Most circumcisions today are performed, at least by parents, under the assumption that there are good therapeutic reasons for doing so. Medical science is starting to come to a different conclusion, although coming to a consensus has been rather slow.
Given all that has been said and if we are to assume that there are not good therapeutic reasons for being circumcised in most cases, it is natural to ask whether one is culpable for being circumcised. The obvious answer is no for, even though the parents may consent for the children, the sins of the father do not fall upon the children. Circumcision is done to you, not something you choose to have done and thus you bear no moral responsibility. But we did speak about the “sins of the father “suggesting there may be some culpability on the part of the parents. Most parents have no reason to question convention, especially when medical professionals assume the procedure is to be done. Thus, they are operating under invincible ignorance and any culpability they do bear is for not considering the question more thoughtfully. But it is also assumed that the parent-to-be reading this essay will take the time to form themselves now that they know it is a debated issue and overcome their ignorance.
In conclusion we can say that as far as we can discern without further instruction from the Church, all non-therapeutic circumcisions are wrong. There certainly are therapeutic reasons for performing one, although they may be less serious than the culture at large would have us think. Although this is a medical question, each person should do their homework and exercise cautious prudence when deciding to have their sons circumcised.