Catholics Tattoos

Catholicism and tattoos
ROBERT EWAN
Wearing your art in your sleeve

Pilgrims to the Holy Land once had them done routinely, but what does the Church today think of tattoos? As this form of bodily adornment has become more popular, those considering submitting themselves to the needle need look no further than the Catechism for guidance
uring the summer when people bare more flesh, it is obvious how fashionable tattoos have become. At one time, tattoos were for soldiers, sailors and bikers and were often associated with borderline, even deviant, behaviour. With the current craze for tattoos, it is worth asking what the Catholic Church thinks of them. Should Catholics avoid indulging in this form of body art? Perhaps a little historical context will help. The idea of an indelible mark upon the body can be traced to the mark of Cain: And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him(Genesis 4:15). This mark was a reminder for Cain of his sin and something shameful to him. Otzi, the iceman who lived 5,300 years ago, discovered in the Otz valley on the Italian-Austrian border, had 57 carbon tattoos: a cross, six straight lines and numerous parallel lines. Tattooed mummies have also been discovered in Egypt, dating to around 2500 BC. Because the practice was widespread among the nations around the Israelites and was sometimes associated with idolatry or other immoral practices, God specifically forbade certain body markings at the time of Moses: You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:28). In the fourth century, St Basil the Great, one of the most distinguished Doctors of the Church, admonished the faithful: No man shall let his hair grow long or tattoo himself as do the heathen. In Steve Gilberts book The Tattoo History Source Book, he quotes several findings by German scholar Franz Joseph Dlger, who made an extensive research of early Christian documents, in an effort to discover records of religious tattooing. He writes that an edict issued by the Council of Calcuth in Northumberland in 787 makes it clear that the Fathers of the Church distinguished between profane tattoos and Christian tattoos. They wrote: When an individual undergoes the ordeal of tattooing for the sake of God, he is greatly praised. But one who 8
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submits himself to be tattooed for superstitious reasons in the manner of heathens will derive no benefit therefrom. The heathen tattooing referred to by the council was the traditional tattooing of the native Britons, which was still practised at the time. In medieval times, pilgrims and Crusaders to the Holy Land had crosses tattooed on their arms and hands. Tattooing gained royal sanction in 1862 when the Prince of Wales visited the Holy Land and had a Jerusalem Cross tattooed on his hand. The tradition of the pilgrimage tattoo continued, although by the eighteenth century it had largely died out among Latin Christians. However, Oriental Christians have continued with the practice. The Catholic Churchs broad interest in the subject was shown when a special conference on the history of tattoos was held at the Vaticans Pontifical Urbaniana University in December last year. This brought together experts from Israel, Europe, North America and New Zealand. The event was organised by Mordechay Lewy, Israels ambassador to the Holy See who also happens to be a leading expert on the history of tattoos. In the course of his studies, the ambassador discovered that European pilgrims to Jerusalem would often get a tattoo as a permanent souvenir of their sacred journey. According to Lewy, the earliest mention of permanent pilgrim markings was in a document from 1484 which referred to branding marks for pilgrims. These marks were nearly always painted by Franciscans based in Bethlehem. While society is becoming more expressive, tattooing has become a mainstream cultural trend. However, is tattooing permitted for Catholics? Opinion on body art is divided within the faith. Although there are statements against tattooing in the Bible, many feel that so long as the imagery is not offensive, or against the beliefs set out by the Church, body art is fine. Tattoos are not evil and the Church offers guidelines by which Catholics can discern whether it is sinful to be tattooed. When considering permanent body art, Catholics should ask if it involves any risks,
A tattoo of God the Father at the Fiftieth International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin. Photo: CNS/Paul Haring and inhibits the proper functioning of the skin or another body organ. They should also question if the messages they explicitly and implicitly carry are compatible with Gods love and decorum or whether they are likely needlessly to offend family members, friends, neighbours and colleagues and thus hinder their ability to lead others to Christ and his Church. There is no specific mention of tattoos in the Catechism, although under a general heading of respect for bodily integrity it is stated that mutilations are against the moral law (Catechism 2297). The Catholic Church teaches that life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. And we must, therefore, take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good (Catechism 2288). The Church also teaches that Catholics must consider the common good when they decide whether to be tattooed. The Church is against tattoos whose words and images celebrate the demonic, are unchaste, or otherwise offend against chastity. Catechism 1752 states that intention is an element essential to the moral evaluation of an action: even if a tattoos words and images are not unchaste, the act of obtaining a tattoo can be immoral if done so with an evil intention for example, to spite ones parents or society. Some tattoos show a profound and lasting devotion to the wearers faith that can be both beautiful and touching. Tattoos do have the ability to communicate the character and truths of God to an external world. The Coptic scholar Otto Meinardus once said: In times of persecution, the tattoo of the Cross has given strength to the faithful and has made it impossible for them to deny their faith. Robert Ewan is a freelance journalist.
30 June 2012

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Catholicism and tattoos

Wearing your art in your sleeve

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