PRESS RELEASE
VATICAN CITY, Aug 2 (Reuters) – The Roman Catholic Church formally changed its teaching on Thursday to declare the death penalty inadmissible in all circumstances. The 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church has allowed the death penalty in extreme cases for centuries, but the position began to change under the late Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005.
The Vatican said it had changed its universal catechism, a summary of Church teaching, to reflect Pope Francis’ total opposition to capital punishment. According to the new entry in the catechism, “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
The new provision is expected to run into stiff opposition from Catholics in countries such as the United States, where many Catholics support the death penalty. The change was enacted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is the body responsible for promulgating and defending Catholic doctrine.
NOTE: Prior to this latest change in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has been advocating the abolition of the death penalty for some time. Sunday February 21, 2016, in the EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF YEAR OF MERCY in his Angelus address at St. Peter’s, Pope Francis called for a worldwide abolition of the death penalty, and I quote,
” The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a good occasion to promote in the world a growing maturity in forms of respect for life and the dignity of each person…even a criminal has the inviolable right to life, a gift of God.”
“I make a call to the consciences of those who govern, so that they come to an international consensus aimed at abolishing the death penalty. All Christians and men and women of good will are called today to work for the abolition of the death penalty, but also for improving the conditions of prisons, in respect of human dignity and of those people deprived of freedom.”
BACKGROUND
CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING
SEPTEMBER 8, 1987
2267 CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
- “…traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against an unjust aggressor.
- “…the case in which the execution of an offender is an absolute necessity are “very rare,” if not practically non-existent.”
NOTE: For those of us older than 50, this CCC #2267 is a change in traditional Church teaching on the death penalty. In fact, you may remember being taught in our Catholic Universities that a man who takes a life forfeits his own. Catholic teaching was influenced for centuries by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Thomas Aquinas did not personally favor the death penalty; he actually encouraged people to avoid it whenever possible. However, he did give us the teaching that for a time allowed just wars and permitted the death penalty. He taught that our first good is the preservation of our own life. The taking of another person’s life may be absolutely necessary in self-defense. “It is legitimate to answer force with force, provided it goes no further than due defense requires.” Summa Theologica (V-II q.64 a. 7)
MAGISTERIUM OF THE CHURCH
For some time, nearly four decades, the Bishops of the Church have been trying to peel away support for the death penalty among Catholics, understanding, just like our ancestors the “hardness of our hearts.” Copied below are some of their statements prior to today’s announcement by the Vatican.
Cardinal Bernadin A Consistent Ethic of Life (1983)
“To be Pro-Life is to respect all life. Life is a “seamless garment” that must be defended against many assaults be they: abortion, nuclear weapons, the death penalty, euthanasia, poverty, or racism.”
Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, THE GOSPEL OF LIFE (1995)
“…the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not to 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.”
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops Life Matters: A Catholic Response To The Death Penalty (2013)
…Even if the death penalty were always imposed without error, should we support its use? We teach that killing is wrong by responding with mercy and justice, not more killing…. As Catholics, we believe and put our hope in a merciful and loving God…. Our Lord calls us to imitate him more perfectly by witnessing to the inherent dignity of every human being, including those whose actions have been despicable.
As Christians we are called to oppose the culture of death by witnessing to something greater and more perfect: a gospel of life, hope and mercy.
COMMENTARY
As someone who worked in prison ministry for a decade on death row there are a few comments that are very personal to me. Almost 50 men were put to death by the state on my watch. Cause of death is written “homicide.” The State excuses themselves as we are to blame that serve on juries that give a death sentence. Of course in a death penalty trial all jurors that oppose the death penalty are excluded They call that a “death qualified” jury.
INNOCENCE
More than 160 Innocent people have been released from our death rows since 1977, usually through extraordinary means and not the court system. The average time spent on death row before exoneration and release is 11 years. Some were released after 30 years. Now for the skeptics who say how can the innocent be on death row. I will list just a few of the ways an innocent person ends up on death row and likely executed.
INCOMPETANT DEFENSE ATTORNEY does not investigate thoroughly because of ignorance or neglect thus missing exculpatory evidence pointing to the innocence of his client.
INADEQUATE POLICE INVESTIGATIONS The police believe the suspect is guilty and do not thoroughly investigate other evidence pointing to other suspects
COERCED CONFESSIONS A suspect with limited mental ability, education, given to drug and alcohol abuse is aggressively interrogated by a group of policemen for 16-18 hours straight and may be intimidated into signing a false confession.
PREJUDICIAL PRESS COVERAGE The heinous crime and the defendant are closely reported together in the newspaper with a strong assumption of guilt on the part of the accused. It is impossible to get an impartial jury even though they say they can be fair.
PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT The prosecutor believes the defendant is guilty, has evidence that may point to the defendant’s innocence but does not use it or share it with the defense counsel. They may also plant evidence, change evidence, and lie on witness stand.
PERJURED TESTIMONY Jail house snitches lie on the stand and say they heard the defendant confess when he didn’t, in exchange for a shorter sentence for themselves.
CLOSURE
Now a few words about the term closure. Some will say we still need the death penalty for closure for family members of the victim. Don’t they deserve closure? Of course family members of murder victims deserve closure if you mean healing and the assistance to move on with their lives. As family members of victims experience grief, anger, and depression, it is essential that we reach out as individuals and faith communities to offer consolation and support.
When a death sentence is in the mix, it only prolongs and intensifies the pain and suffering and halts the grieving process in its tracks. The focus is on killing the killer not the loss of their loved one. And besides, less than 1% of homicides result in a death sentence. So what about so called closure for those family members.
CLOSING
In closing, the deepest message of our Faith is that we are all brothers and sisters, made in the image and likeness of God. Remember how God treated the first murderer, Cain, with mercy. He put a mark on Cain lest anyone harm him. “If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold. The Lord put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him on sight.” (Genesis 4:15)
But God does not leave the crime unpunished. He tells Cain that he will not be able to grow crops and that he will be a fugitive and wanderer on the earth. Although Cain is spared execution, justice requires that he live the rest of his earthly life alone and outcast, but with time to reflect on his crime, to perhaps feel remorse and at last seek forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
Our role then is to reconcile what seems irreconcilable, to love and respect the human dignity of the murder victim and the death row inmate and show compassion and support to the suffering and grieving families of both. The death penalty is not about who deserves to die but who deserves to kill. Jesus came for sinners not the righteous, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice!” Matthew 9:13
Mercy mitigates judgment!
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