Sins That Cry to Heaven: Introduction

1. In General

Scripture speaks of certain transgressions that “cry out to God.” Here are the relevant passages:

On this basis, the Church distinguishes a special category of sins – those that cry to heaven, that is, call for God’s vengeance. There are five of them:

Ad coelum clamant: sanguis Abel; peccatum Sodomitarum; clamor populi in Aegyto oppressi; gemitus advenae, viduae et orphani; iniustitia in mercennarium.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1867)

That is:

• The blood of Abel: the willful murder of the innocent and defenseless.
• The sin of Sodom: public sexual perversion.
• The cry of the people oppressed.
• The lament of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan.
• Injustice toward the wage earner, i.e. defrauding workers of their due.

It is not a dogma, but tradition firmly holds that God punishes these sins already in this life, without waiting for the final judgment.

For instance, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century) and St. Cyprian of Carthage (3rd century) list them in sermons as “sins for which God takes immediate vengeance.”

The Trident Catechism (1566) and the Douay Catechism (1649) describe peccata clamantia as sins that God “often punishes with temporal chastisement here and now.”

2. In Detail

Several brief remarks on each sin.

1. The blood of Abel.

The Church has not explicitly classified abortion as peccatum clamans, since Scripture never frames it in those terms. Yet it fits the criteria perfectly: an overwhelming power (the physician) takes the life of an utterly defenseless infant.

In my view, it is legitimate to extend the traditional understanding here. There is no need to add a separate category; it suffices to state that “a particular case of Abel’s blood is the sin of abortion, the murder of the most innocent of victims.”

Cf. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae §58 (1995): “Abortion is the blood of innocents crying out to heaven.”

War crimes also belong here, when an armed combatant kills an unarmed and innocent civilian.

2. The sin of Sodom.

Modern usage reduces it to homosexual acts alone. However, the original meaning has nothing to do with sexual orientation per se.

In its strict sense, sodomy denotes public, systematic and socially sanctioned sexual violence. It is a threefold offence against nature, society and hospitality, perpetrated openly and brazenly.

3 and 4. The cry of the oppressed and the lament of orphans.

Both concern the systematic crushing of vulnerable social groups, whether by race, class, status, or any other marker.

Note well: oppression need not escalate to outright genocide. i.e. direct extermination, to already become a sin that cries to heaven.

5. Injustice in wages.

This includes delayed or withheld pay, underpayment, pay discrimination, nepotism, excessive hours, unpaid or forced overtime, bad working conditions, neglect of safety rules, exploitation of migrants, and much more.

All these forms of economic injustice cry to heaven for redress.

3. The Clockwork

What do these sins have in common? Let us trace the pattern:

• An armed man (whether with sword, machine gun or scalpel) kills the unarmed.
• A depraved crowd tortures the helpless.
• A corrupt society oppresses its minorities.
• A rich man withholds the worker’s wages.

We see that all these are crimes against justice, sins of the strong against the weak, of those in power against those without it.

The sole true source of authority in the world is the Lord God. He made heaven and earth and remains their rightful Sovereign.

However, he delegates a portion of earthly power to certain humans, so that they may uphold justice and protect the weak.

But when the mighty misuse their position to commit evil, they unravel the very fabric of civilization, especially if this happens publicly and with impunity.

The victims have no earthly court of appeal, for those who should have defended them are their very tormentors. The only recourse left to them is to cry to heaven. Hence the name of these sins.

When the normal order of justice is subverted and its human stewards are compromised, it follows that the Author of justice Himself must act.

By their very nature, peccata clamantia demand that God respond directly, bypassing ordinary time and human judgment. The clamor of such sins compels Heaven itself to intervene.

This is why the tradition insists that retribution for these sins is swift and inexorable.

Cain was cursed in this life, not merely the next. Sodom was erased from the earth. Pharaoh of Egypt endured ten plagues and perished in the sea. Rome, having bled its provinces dry, was thrice ravaged and nearly annihilated by disease.

4. A Warning

There are no guarantees carved in stone that God’s reckoning will surely strike within this life. Again, the sins that cry to heaven form a pedagogical, not dogmatic category.

Still, they stand as fiery script upon the wall, summoning those in power to remember their duty.

In every age – including our own – God entrusts authority not for private gain, but for diligent service to the bonum commune, the common good of all.

And one day the supreme Sovereign will call each of His stewards to account. He cannot be deceived, intimidated or bribed; He sees every heart and judges every deed. This fateful encounter might be much closer than it seems.

Moreover, if you hold power and have abused it, you should earnestly beg that punishment comes in this life. If it does not, the silence is far worse. For it means that God has chosen to let you enjoy what remains of earthly comfort while your eternity is already lost.

If you have been granted any measure of authority, you likely do not fear your subordinates but fear your own superior. That is folly. The one both you and your superior must fear is the Almighty and all-seeing God. Your final audit, the most crucial of all, will be rendered before Him alone.

Think on this.

Part Two:

peccata clamantia in the context of modern society – wage injustice.

Basic. Some familiarity with the Catechism and Scripture may help, but is not required.

1000 words, excluding the spoiler with Scripture quotes – a short read. About 3-4 minutes at average pace.

A classical exposition of peccata clamantia – the five sins that cry to heaven for vengeance. An academic overview with reflections on the nature of power and justice.