Does the Church Allow Tattoos?

Question: My daughter has told me that she is thinking of getting a tattoo. I’m against that idea, so could you tell me whether the Church approves of tattoos, and what else I could tell her?

Answer: The short answer is: The Church issues no prohibition on tattoos. And before anybody quotes Leviticus 19, remember that its prohibition relates to a specific cultural and religious context (basically, to discourage the followers of the one God from procuring possibly pagan tattoos).

The injunction in the Letters to the Hebrews that we ought to treat our bodies like a temple doesn’t apply to tattoos either. If it did, we couldn’t allow piercings, for example. The act of getting a tattoo is in itself morally neutral, though there are many practical arguments against it.

But there are some issues to consider before one gets a tattoo. Obviously, lewd or blasphemous tattoos are a very bad idea. So are those that reflect a reality which might be very different in the future: the name of a girl- or boyfriend, or that of a currently popular pop act, or a political philosophy, for example. An “I ♥ Putin” tattoo probably does not look as good now as it might have done a few years ago.

It should go without saying that for Catholics, a tattoo should not be blasphemous, sexually explicit, insulting to others, and so on. And beware of inadvertently choosing an image connected to the occult or, worse, satanism.

Another consideration: Where is the tattoo going? Placement is important, especially if the tattoo refers to sexuality.

The question with every new tattoo should be: What are you trying to communicate with your bodywork — and why?

A good piece of advice is to allow for a cooling-off period. Wait for a few weeks or months, and see if you still want a tattoo, and that particular design in that particular place on the body. If after that period you still want that tattoo in that place, go for it.

And a final good counsel: If you do get a tattoo, make sure the artist has the necessary artistic skills and, if the design involves words, the ability to spell — you don’t want your tattoo appearing on websites for the amusement of others.

Asked and answered in the July issue of The Southern Cross magazine