Food for Thought
When are acts morally good?
An act is morally good when it assumes simultaneously the goodness of the object, of the end, and of circumstances. A chosen object can by itself vitiate an act in its entirety, even if the intention is good. It is not licit to do evil so that good may result from it. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good in itself. On the other hand, a good end does not make an act good if the object of that act is evil, since the end does not justify the means. Circumstances can increase or diminish the responsibility of the one who is acting but they cannot change the moral quality of the acts themselves. They never make good an act which is in itself evilĀ
(Compendium of the CCC, 368).Further reading: CCC 1755-1756, 1759-1760