Can Catholics get tattoos

Answer 1

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Catholic AnswerUnfortunately, there are a number of Catholic who seem to be getting tattoos. The Catechism of the Catholic Churchdoesn't cover tattoos, but they have always been seen in the light of mutiliating your body. As your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and tattooing was expressly forbidden in the Old Covenant, I do not think there is any justifiable reason for a person to do this to their body.

Answer 2

There are no specific Biblical rules against tattoos for Catholics.

Improved Answer:The ancient Jews, as well as Jews today absolutely forbid tattoos as it is forbidden in the Old Testament:

"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, neither shall you make on yourselves any figures or marks. I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:28).

The same question was put to Fr. Stephen Somerville in his internet column. This is his response:"Is, then, the mark of tattooing lawful for the Catholic? Not wishing to exaggerate what may be a small matter, I judge that I speak with the mind of the Church when I say that tattooing is at least unseemly for a Catholic. It surely could weaken Faith in Christ for one to place a non-Christ permanent mark on his body. Our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, says St. Paul. Let that temple be preserved from unworthy marks."

Roman Catholic AnswerThis question can be addressed from several angles:

Actually putting a tattoo on your body is not specifically addressed in any official document from Rome, that I can find. So, from this angle it is up for grabs.

In the Old Testament, the Jews were specifically told that to tattoo themselves was a sin. At the time they were moving into the Promised Land, all of the natives there were tattooed - it was very common to tattoo yourself to identity your God, caste, whatever. This is still done in India, for instance. So you need to look at why God was asking them to not tattoo themselves and if it applies to you now.

But, there are two over-riding concerns here:

1) Technically, it is mutilating your body, which in and of itself, is a sin. Other mutilations, such as piercing your ears are not normally considered sinful.

2) Secondly, and even more important is WHY do you want to have a tattoo, and what kind of tattoo would it be. The WHY is very important, we were all put on this earth for one reason - out of the Love of God. Our time on this earth is a VERY short period of time to enable us to make a choice for an eternity of bliss with Our Blessed Lord, or an eternity of torture and hell fired because we neglected God in this life. Ask yourself these questions:

a) Why do I want this tattoo? If it is, say, strictly to make me look better, or another such reason then we are talking about vanity, which is one of the capital sins (pride).

b) Could my time and money be spend in a better way to help the poor, my neighbor etc.

c) When I die and have to stand before God and answer for tattooing my body, at that point - what good explanation can I give for what I have done to something that really wasn't mine (your body was created by God, held in existence by God, and is going to live eternally with Him, hopefully)?

Answer 3

My friend has full sleeves dedicated to his catholic faith and they range from latin words to the sacred heart to the rosary. There is no set tattoo symbol although i would say probably the sacred heart.

Answer 4

I can find no Catholic teaching for or against tattoos. However a point to ponder: You are a masterpiece work of art, created in the image and likeness of the artist, God. Would you go up to Leonardo da vinci's painting "The Last Supper" and try to "improve" it by adding your own touches here and there? If you are a minor then there is a second issue. You do have to concern yourself with the Commandment to honor your father and mother which means that if they say no tattoo then you should honor them by not getting a tattoo.