The Rev. Gregory Kalscheur spoke to a packed Monaghan Ballroom in the Alumni Memorial Union Wednesday night on the apparently contradictory relationship between law and religion.,”A Catholic, even when the law seems to violate his or her beliefs, still can in good conscience serve as a legislator or judge, according to a Jesuit priest and Boston College law professor.

The Rev. Gregory Kalscheur spoke to a packed Monaghan Ballroom in the Alumni Memorial Union Wednesday night on the apparently contradictory relationship between law and religion.

"There's no good reason why a conscientious Catholic cannot become a judge," Kalscheur said.

The majority of Kalscheur's presentation was spent discussing what he called the "morally wrong" act of abortion and the conflict it often causes between what a public official sees as morally right versus what he sees as legally right.

He briefly touched upon the death penalty as well.

"The Church does not teach that the death penalty is an intrinsic evil," he said. However, he went on to say that this is still an issue plaguing legislators and judges today.

Kalscheur said he thinks what is viewed as immoral by a legislator should remain that way in their vote.

"A legislator who doesn't believe abortion is right should not vote for funding abortion," Kalscheur said.

Discussing such a controversial topic prompted Kalscheur to make what he referred to as a "disclaimer."

"I am not a moral theologian. I am a law professor," he said.

He concluded by asking his listeners to pay close attention to their actions and the effects they may have on their lives.

"What sort of people will we become by our actions in the world?" he asked.

Among the large audience was Justin Mertz, a second-year law student. He said he was especially impressed with the thoroughness and quality of Kalscheur's speech.

"I was drawn to this speaker, because our faith and our laws typically collide in the most interesting and important ways," Mertz said.

"It was very good of him to distinguish the roles of legislators and judges in our society and how serving a social good can justify hard moral choices in our everyday lives."

Daniel Suhr, another second-year law student, said he thought Kalscheur did a remarkable job speaking about moral theology.

"Father Kalscheur used a strong moral theology as his framework for answering complex moral questions," Suhr said. He said he also gained a sense of reassurance as a result of Kalscheur's speech.

"As judges continue to gain power and prominence in our society, Father Kalscheur gives us all confidence in the justness of our legal system," Suhr said.

While such a controversial subject as abortion affects mainly public officials, Jennie Kratochvil, a second-year law student who attended the presentation, said she thought Kalscheur did a great job relating the topic to the public while successfully addressing a rising issue in our world today.

"Father Kalscheur's speech addressed several relevant issues for lawmakers and judges in today's society regarding the conflicts they often confront, and he also addressed the ways in which these issues relate to the general population, which proved to be very interesting and informative," Kratochvil said.

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