Is the age of reason a hard-and-fast seven years, or a general rule of thumb?
Robert Sungenis answers that seven is a sound rule of thumb for when a child can commit mortal sin, not a rigid line, and that the Church may set it somewhat higher or lower. He holds that God is lenient in judgment, and that children differ, so brighter ones may reach accountability earlier while those with very low IQ may not be culpable for a long time.
A viewer notes that Robert has stated on his program that the age of reason is seven years old, and asks whether seven is hard and fast or a general rule of thumb, since people mature at varying rates, citing Catholic Answers and canon law.
Answer
I have no problem treating seven as a guideline rather than a rigid line, and I did not invent the number; the Church did. So if the Church wants to allow it to be a bit higher, eight, nine, or ten, or a bit lower, that is her prerogative. When it comes to judgment, God is always lenient and gives the benefit of the doubt. Unless a law is made crystal clear, that forty means forty and not thirty-nine or forty-one, there is room for variance, and here there clearly is, because people differ: someone with a very low IQ will not be culpable for a long time, and among ordinary children some are sharper than others, so the brighter ones might reach accountability closer to seven or even a bit earlier. So seven is a sound rule of thumb for when a child becomes capable of committing a mortal sin, and I will confirm the canon-law reference, but I would have no problem using seven as the guideline.