Could Catholics Tip the Balance for Death Penalty Repeal?

[rug]

Posted: Oct 16, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca -- In a race that polls show could go either way, proponents of the initiative to repeal the death penalty in November are praying that the Catholic Church might make a difference.

While nowhere near as robust as the effort that the Church put into the Proposition 8 campaign against same-sex marriage in 2008, the California Catholic Conference has given Catholics the blessing to join the battle to replace executions with life without the possibility of parole. The official voice of the state’s Catholic bishops on public policy issues endorsed California Proposition 34, the End the Death Penalty Initiative, last September.

Ned Dolesji, the body’s executive director, also recently teamed up with Amanda Cox, mother or a murder victim, former Los Angeles district attorney Gil Garcetti and SAFE California campaign manager Natasha Minsker, who is also and ACLU attorney, to meet with the Sacramento Bee editorial board to state their case for Prop. 34. The Bee recently endorsed the proposition.

“We’re encouraging our pastors to distribute materials for Prop. 34 in English and Spanish, we’ve produced bulletins, public service announcements, sample homilies radio interviews, and videos, says Dolejsi.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0df70558ebe73216ced2ba42b55a31af

[mykpart]

1. It would be nice if they could.

Unfortunately, many priests and bishops endorse the death penalty, stating that government has the right to execute people. (This was said by a priest in an inquiry class for people interested in becoming Catholic). Funny how the Vatican never seems to chastise them on this point.

[musical_soul]

2. The vatican hasn't taken a stand on it.

Pope John Paul has (RIP), but not the Vatican.

Now, the RCC argument is supposed to be to support life from conception to natural death. A stand might be taken based on that.

[tjwmason]

3. It is slightly open.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (para 2267)

Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the 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 the unjust aggressor.

Emphasis mine

Whilst that does give some wiggle-room, it gives far less than some would like to think.