Recently, Pope John Paul II wrote to President Bush
asking clemency for Timothy McVeigh. A few parishioners have asked for more information
about the Church’s stand on the death penalty. Presented here is an excerpt from an
address given to the National Press Club in May of 2000 by Cardinal Roger Mahony, the
Archbishop of Los Angeles. The title of the talk was: NEW ETHIC - JUSTICE WITHOUT
VENGEANCE. If you would like a full copy of his comments, please contact me.-Fr. Ring
In the Catholic Church, teaching on the death penalty has developed
over time. For centuries, the Church accepted the right of the state to take a life in
order to protect society. But over time and in the light of new realities, Catholic
teaching now recognizes that there are nonviolent means to protect society and to hold
offenders accountable. Church teaching now clearly argues for the abolition of capital
punishment.
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the conditions under which a
life can be taken—even to protect the lives of others—have been narrowed
significantly. Specifically, the Catechism states:
"If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against
an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority
should limit itself to such means because they better correspond to the concrete
conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human
person."
How do these principles that uphold human life and dignity apply to the
complex matter of capital punishment? In reflecting on Catholic teaching, we must conclude
that "even the most hardened criminal remains a human person, created in God’s
image and possessing a dignity, value and worth which must be recognized, promoted,
safeguarded and defended." Simply put, we believe that every person is sacred, every
life is precious—even the life of one who has violated the rights of others by taking
a life. Human dignity is not qualified by what we do. It cannot be earned or forfeited.
Human dignity is an irrevocable character of each and every person.
In the last decade, the Holy Father has reminded us that the purpose of
punishment should never be vengeance. Rather, it is a "condition for the offender to
regain the exercise of his or her freedom. In this way authority also fulfills the purpose
of defending public order and ensuring people’s safety, while at the same time
offering the offender an incentive and help to change his or her behavior and be
rehabilitated."
The pope states that "the nature and extent of punishment must be
carefully evaluated and decided upon and ought not go to the extreme of executing the
offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be
possible otherwise to defend society." He goes on to say, "As a result of steady
improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not
practically nonexistent."
The reality is that the penal system in the United States, perhaps
better than all other countries, has the ability to permanently isolate dangerous
individuals.
Now even some death penalty supporters are becoming increasingly
uncomfortable with the status quo. The arbitrary manner in which the death penalty is
sometimes applied; the disproportionate number of racial and ethnic minorities and
low-income persons on death row; the fiscal burdens borne by penal institutions; and, most
disturbingly, the mounting evidence that innocent people have been convicted and sentenced
to death—all these factors have sown considerable doubt in the minds of elected
officials and the public at large.
....As we have pointed out in previous statements, the death penalty is
further indication of a culture of violence that haunts our nation. Sadly, we are the most
violent nation on earth not currently at war. It is reflected in our movies and music, our
television and video games, in our homes, schools and on our streets. More ominously, our
society is tempted to solve some our more significant social problems with violence.
Consider this:
—Abortion is promoted to deal with difficult or unwanted
pregnancies.
—Euthanasia and assisted suicide are suggested as a remedy for the
burdens of age and illness.
—Capital punishment is marketed as the answer to deal with violent
crime.
A nation that destroys its young, abandons its elderly and relies on
vengeance is in serious moral trouble.
The Catholic bishops of the United States join with Pope John Paul II
in a recommitment to end the death penalty. Our faith calls us to be "unconditionally
pro-life." We will work not only to proclaim our anti-death penalty position, but to
persuade others that increasing reliance on capital punishment diminishes society as a
whole.
