Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 11:52:30 EST
From: Stephen Dear
Subject: NC&US Bishops Say Abolishing D. Penalty Is Urgent
NC&US Bishops Say Abolishing D. Penalty Is Urgent
People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
Contents of this Action Alert:
A. Statement by Bishop F. Joseph Gossman, roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
B. Article on U.S. Bishops' Statement
A. Statement by Bishop F. Joseph Gossman, Roman Catholic Diocese of
Raleigh, N.C.
Today I join my brother bishops in a Good Friday Appeal to End the Death
Penalty. On the day when we recall the execution of Jesus Christ, the
Administrative Board of the Bishops' Conference has released a statement
calling for an end to the death penalty in the United States.
I call on all people of goodwill, especially Catholics, to join with me in
working toward ending this cycle of violence in our state and country. The
death penalty is not a deterrent to a capital crime. Most people who commit
murder do so in a state of missplaced passion or under the influence of drugs
or alcohol. The possibility of the death penalty as a punishment never enters
their minds.
In his pastoral visit to St. Louis in January, Pope John Paul II said, "The
new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally
pro-life; who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every
situation."
The statement by the Holy Father upset and confused come Catholics. It was an
affirmation of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states public
authority should limit itself to means which do not take a life when these
means are sufficient to deter an aggressor and protect the safety of person.
Today, with the advances of our penal system, such protection is available
through long-term incarceration.
Neither I, nor my brother bishops, call for the repeal of the death penalty
at the expense of the victims, their families or loved ones. We understand
the enormous pain those close to a murdered love one must feel. Our family of
faith must stand with all victims of violence as they struggle to overcome
their terrible loss and fear and find some sense of peace. But we must
understand that the violent act of capital punishment as retribution only
keeps us as a nation steeped in violence. Out culture often sees violence as
a way to solve problems and many of us get caught up in this cultural
message. We must grow beyond that. We must seek justice without vengeance.
I ask all Catholics to pray for a change of heart because capital punishment
is an issue of violence and violence begins in the heart. I join with my
brother bishops in encouraging parishes to hold discussion groups on the
death penalty and to form ministries to provide long-term spiritual and
material assistance to grief-stricken families.
This is not an easy issue. All of us must [] consider how we will stand up
for life, stand with the victims of crime and work for a society that does
not solve problems with violence.
---
B. Bishops Say Abolishing the Death Penalty Is An Urgent Priority
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops for the first time yesterday made
opposition to the death penalty an urgent priority, addressing the
disparity between Catholics who tend to support capital punishment and
their pope, who strongly opposes it.
"On this Good Friday, a day when we recall our Savior's own execution, we
appeal to all people of goodwill, and especially Catholics, to work to
end the death penalty," the bishops said in a statement released by
Cardinal Roger Mahony in Los Angeles.
2/3 of U.S. Catholics support the death penalty, the same ratio as
the rest of Americans. In his January visit to St. Louis, Pope John Paul
II dramatized the issue when he made a successful plea to Missouri Gov.
Mel Carnahan (D) to commute the death sentence of triple murderer Darrel
Mease.
Catholics understandably support the death penalty through a fear of
crime and empathy for innocent victims, wrote the bishops. But they
added, "we hope they will come to see, as we have, that more violence is
not the answer."
"We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing," they wrote. "The
death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life by
taking life."
The bishops urged Catholics to lobby at the state and national level to
reverse the growing number of executions, which they said had become
numbingly routine.
(source: Washington Post)
((snip))
People of Faith Against the Death Penalty is an interfaith program of the
N.C. Council of Churches.
Please become a member of PFADP as encourage your congregation or group to
join ($25/individual, $40/household, $100/congregation). Please make checks
payable to PFADP. Contributions to PFADP are tax-deductible.
People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
157 1/2 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-933-7567
FAX 919-933-5611
Website: www.netpath.net/~ucch/pfadp
Email: sjdear1@aol.com
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