Tattooing
and the
Catholic Church

The Bible states clearly that the God abhors tattooing and body piecing because it mutilates the body "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor shall you make in yourselves any figures or marks: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:28). The Fifth Commandment also forbids unnecessary harming of one's body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul calls it. The practice of tattooing involves an unnecessary medical risk of acquiring the dangerous viruses Hepatitis C or HIV. These virus, once acquired through such practices can lie dormant in the body for an extended period after the tattooing or body piercing incident. There is no cure for Hepatitis C or AIDS and both end in death. Altering the body can be justified only on the supposition that it is necessary or useful toward obtaining some physical benefit such as, pierced ears which eliminates the pain of clip on ear rings or a necessary operation for ones health.