Should Robin Hood be considered a hero, given that he stole?
The short answer
In the story, Robin Hood was reclaiming goods the crown had unjustly taken from the poor through unjust taxation and returning them. The Catechism teaches there is no theft when refusal would be contrary to reason and the universal destination of goods.
Reclaiming, not stealing
By taking goods from the sheriff of Nottingham's treasure wagons and giving them to the poor, Robin Hood was returning what the crown had unjustly taken from the poor through unjust taxes.
What the Catechism says
The seventh commandment forbids theft — taking another's property against the owner's reasonable will. But there is no theft if consent can be presumed or if refusal is contrary to reason and to the universal destination of goods, as in obvious and urgent necessity when the only way to meet immediate, essential needs is to use the property of others (CCC 2408).
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