Archbishop Burke, other Missouri bishops call on Catholics to reject death penalty
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St. Louis, Mo., Apr 13, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- As the state of Missouri prepares for a highly-publicized trial due to challenge the constitutionality of lethal injection, the state’s Catholic bishops are calling on faithful to reject the practice of capital punishment overall as an excess which opposes the dignity of the human person.

They pointed out that while a death sentence “offers the illusion of closure and vindication”, that “no act, even an execution can bring back a loved one or heal terrible wounds. The pain and loss of death can not be wiped away by another death.”

Citing the recent U.S. Catholic Bishop’s document, “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death”, they said that while “The Church has acknowledged the right of the state to use the death penalty in order to protect society…the Church insists that the state should forego the exercise of this right if other non-lethal options are available.”

The bishops urged “all Catholics to pray that the court will rule in favor of life and condemn the practice of lethal injection. We would ask that, as witnesses to life, you take one step further and address our elected representatives on the state and federal level to voice our opposition to capital punishment and support a halt in executions.”

“Let them know”, they stressed, “that more violence is not a solution to society’s problems.”

They likewise quoted the late Pope John Paul II who, in his Encyclical, the Gospel of Life, urged Catholics to be “unconditionally pro-life.”

The bishop’s March 30th letter was signed by St. Louis’ Archbishop Raymond Burke, and Bishop Robert Hermann, Jefferson City’s Bishop John Gaydos, Kansas City-St. Joseph’s Bishop Robert Finn, and Bishop Emeritus Raymond Boland and Springfield-Cape Giradeau’s Bishop John Leibrecht.

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Subscriber comments:
Published by: Robert Koop
Middletown, Ohio, USA 06/26/2006 03:39 PM EST
I would really like to see conservatives in the US take on a new plank and as they promote a pro-life agenda to wipe out abortion they should also restrict the death penalty to cases involving multiple murder or torture murder, with all others receiving life without parole. That would eliminate all wrongly acused, convicted, then executed. This would save society from the most heinous criminals. This would save the taxpayer tens of millions per execution over the cost of life in prison. This would take our society one step closer to WWJD.
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Published by: Mike
Dickinson, Texas 04/15/2006 02:39 AM EST
As a devout Catholic, I would like to say that this whole issue has very little to do with the 'dignity of the human person'. What it does have to do with is the basic and clear message of the New Testament-to love our enemies, to not render evil for evil, that to receive mercy we have to give mercy, that whoever is without sin should cast the first stone (obviously no one is). This is what opposition to the death penalty should be based on-not this ambiguous concept of 'dignity of the human person' The Catholic Church should have never approved of the death penalty in the first place. It is totally contrary to the teaching of Christ and the New Testament. It's about time that the Church started using that as its argument against this barbaric practice-otherwise it's words are pretty much going to fall on deaf ears.
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Published by: William Ferguson
Tulsa, OK USA 04/14/2006 08:40 PM EST
Traditional Catholic teaching has always permitted the use of capital punishment by the state. The bishops, led by JPII and B16, are trying to change this teaching while pretending not to change it. But it is a theological sleight of hand--a-now-you-see-it-now-you-don't ruse which presents a right that suddenly vanishes into thin air. It's still there but you can't use it! Tah-dah! A right that isn't a right! A teaching that changes without being changed! Ooooh! Aaaaaah!

At best this present stance can be seen as a judgement not a teaching of the Church. It certainly doesn't rise to the level of dogma or constant teaching of the Church. Still important, but given that the same bishops can't (or won't)guarantee a reverent liturgy on Sunday or bring themselves to enforce traditional Catholic teaching in other, less politically correct, areas it's a judgement we should be cautious in accepting. It is more reflective of personal biases of left-leaning members of the hierarchy than Church tradition.
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