US Catholic Bishops Campaign Against the Death Penalty
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has begun a campaign in opposition to capital punishment. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, said at a press conference: “We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing. We cannot defend life by taking life…The Catholic campaign will work to change the debate and decisions on the use of the death penalty: building a constituency for life, not death; calling on our lawmakers to lead, not follow; to defend life, not take it away.”
According to documents on their website, apparently Pope John Paul II has been saying this for at least ten years. Very interesting, considering that the Catholic church in the US has recently been known as an expressly conservative institution. This is a great move towards consistency in the church’s approach to protect life on all fronts, not just abortion.
It is also worth noting that many Catholics opposed the Iraq war. Catholics tend to take a much more consistent stance on life issues that Evangelicals. They also do a lot of great work with the poor in Latin America, where they often face assassination or torture by U.S.-backed militaries. However, at election time we learn which issue is most important to them when they endorse the pro-life, pro-war, pro-rich and pro-death penalty candidate.
Comment by Corey Kobbervig — March 25, 2005 @ 12:01 pm
It’s not really fair to generalize all Catholics like that. Especially when some of the clergy is adamant about refusing the Eucharist to people who have voted for pro-choice candidates. The beliefs one holds and the way one votes are often dissonant, and it is not an easy choice for anyone.
Comment by Alicia Kraft — March 25, 2005 @ 12:12 pm