Conscience not enough, says Pope

A WARNING that con-cm-science was not enough was made by Pope Paul last week. He said: "Of itself, conscience does not suffice even though it carries within itself the basic teachings of the natural law."
Speaking at his weekly general audience, he explained: "The Christian way would not be known to us with truth and authority if it had not been announced to us by . . . the Gospel and the Church.
"Whoever wants to emancipate himself from legitimate authority would find his moral sense mute on many inconvenient and principal teachings which are basic for a Christian.
`ELASTIC' "He would finish by losing the exactness of his moral judgment, and by yielding to that elastic and permissive morality which unfortunately seems to prevail today."
The pope began by describing conscience as "the interior mirror of experience, of life." He said: "To say that conscience is needed is like saying that man needs to be man."
Over the past several months, Pope Paul has devoted his weekly audience talks principally to the problem of right and wrong, and its role in the Christian religion.