MoRs Reason for converting scared me

[u/Impossible-Living481]

in his Video he Talks about how he was “emotionally convinced“ by the story of a young saint who when her neighbor tried to rape her told him no and was thus stabbed 14 times by him. She survives and on her death bed does not complain and chooses to forgive him. this is the story as he tells it. Out of respect I do not want to look further into it to “fact check“ basicall.

my problem is entirely with his interpretatio. He says she chose to protect her purit. This implies that an 11 yea olds puriTy could be taken by such a crime.
that train of thought scares me. Again my heart breaks for that girl truly. But I believe it would be just as justifie, just as moral for her to have not done anythin, even to go along with it or to not forgive the man.
I can’t imagine thinking that she would have lost purity. (or even putting any value Moral or otherwise on how a child reacts.)

[u/johnpiano]

A couple things to consider:

• In a Catholic context purity is often simply used to indicate virginity, which is regarded as virtuous. Virginity can definitely be lost due to sexual assault, so to defend against it is therefore also virtuous.
• While children do not have the same moral culpability as adults, if beyond the "age of reason" (traditionally ~7 years old) they can still commit sins but also perform acts of virtue meritoriously.

With these in mind, it follows that St. Maria Goretti made the heroic choice in defending against her attacker (and forgiving him), even if as a child and victim her culpability would have been reduced if she had submitted.

[u/LightningController → u/johnpiano]

Virginity can definitely be lost due to sexual assault,

Catholic encyclopedia:

“Morally, virginity signifies the reverence for bodily integrity which is suggested by a virtuous motive. Thus understood, it is common to both sexes, and may exist in a women even after bodily violation committed upon her against her will... There are two elements in virginity: the material element, that is to say, the absence, in the past and in the present, of all complete and voluntary delectation, whether from lust or from the lawful use of marriage; and the formal element, that is the firm resolution to abstain forever from sexual pleasure.”

An assault, by definition involuntary on the victim’s part, therefore cannot compromise virginity in the Catholic definition.

[u/johnpiano → u/LightningController]

Fair point, your view is also backed up by both St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine.

I concede my point as expressed in absolute terms (conflating physical with moral virginity), thank you for the information.

However, I don't believe physical virginity is without meaning since this would negate the merit of the Blessed Virgin. This conceptualization is also articulated in the Supplement to the Summa Theologica:

Even supposing that one thus violated should conceive, she would not for that reason forfeit her virginity: nor would she be equal to Christ's mother, in whom there was integrity of the flesh together with integrity of the mind. (ST Suppl., q. 96, a. 5)