My article published in 2015 in the Herald Dr. Gladstone D'Costa On Thu, Aug 9, 2018 at 2:46 PM Goanet Reader <goanetrea...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Pope Francis Declares Death Penalty Unacceptable in All Cases > > Pope Francis said that the > Roman Catholic Church would > work "with determination" for > the abolition of capital > punishment worldwide. > Credit Alessandra > Tarantino/Associated Press > > By Elisabetta Povoledo and Laurie Goodstein > Aug. 2, 2018 > > ROME -- Pope Francis has declared the death penalty wrong in > all cases, a definitive change in church teaching that is > likely to challenge Catholic politicians, judges and > officials who have argued that their church was not entirely > opposed to capital punishment. > > Before, church doctrine accepted the death penalty if it was > "the only practicable way" to defend lives, an opening that > some Catholics took as license to support capital punishment > in many cases. > > But Francis said executions were unacceptable in > all cases because they are "an attack" on human > dignity, the Vatican announced on Thursday, adding > that the church would work "with determination" to > abolish capital punishment worldwide. > > Francis made the change to the Catechism of the Roman > Catholic Church, the book of doctrine that is taught to > Catholic children worldwide and studied by adults in a church > with 1.2 billion members. Abolishing the death penalty has > long been one of his top priorities, along with saving the > environment and caring for immigrants and refugees. > > [Read about how the decree complicates Nebraska's plans for > its first execution in more than 20 years.] > > A majority of the world's countries -- including nearly every > nation in Europe and Latin America, regions that are home to > large Catholic populations -- have already banned the death > penalty, according to Amnesty International. > > The pope's decree is likely to hit hardest in the > United States, where a majority of Catholics > support the death penalty and the powerful > "pro-life movement" has focused almost exclusively > on ending abortion -- not the death penalty. The > pope's move could put Catholic politicians in a new > and difficult position, especially Catholic > governors like Greg Abbott of Texas and Pete > Ricketts of Nebraska, who have presided over > executions. > > "If you're a Catholic governor who thinks the state has the > right to end human life, you need to be comfortable saying > you're disregarding orthodox church teaching," said John > Gehring, the Catholic program director at Faith in Public > Life, a liberal-leaning advocacy group in Washington. "There > isn't any loophole for you to wiggle through now." > > The new ruling could also complicate the lives of American > judges who are practicing Catholics. > > President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Brett > M. Kavanaugh, is Catholic, as are Chief Justice John G. > Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. > and Sonia Sotomayor. One of the other finalists for the > vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Anthony M. > Kennedy was Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is also Catholic. > > She wrote a 1998 law review article suggesting that Catholic > judges should consider recusing themselves in some death > penalty cases that might conflict with their religious > beliefs. > > In a 2002 article, Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016, > said, "I do not find the death penalty immoral," and added > that he was confident that Catholic doctrine allowed for its > use in some cases. > > He wrote that it would be a bad idea if Catholic > judges had to recuse themselves in death penalty > cases or if Catholic governors had to promise > commutations of death sentences, and commented, > "Most of them would never reach the governor's > mansion." > > Chester L. Gillis, professor of theology at Georgetown > University, described Francis's new teaching on the death > penalty as "part of the regular teaching of the church" and > "binding." But that does not mean that Catholics who believe > differently will face penalties or be denied the sacraments. > > "There are lots of other teachings in the Catholic church > that not everybody abides by," he said. "Is practicing birth > control a mortal sin? If true there would be a lot of couples > in mortal sin." > > A majority of American Catholics favor capital punishment, 53 > percent, while 42 percent oppose it, according to a poll that > the Pew Research Center conducted this spring. Among > Americans as a whole, 54 percent are in favor and 39 percent > opposed. > > Cara H. Drinan, a professor of law at Catholic University of > America in Washington and an expert on criminal justice > reform, said Catholics should be able to accept this > development because it is "perfectly consistent with Catholic > teaching on a consistent ethic of life." > > And yet, she said, there may be resistance. > > "The land of the free has become the world's > biggest jailer," Ms. Drinan said, "and even > practicing Catholics have a hard time setting aside > this knee-jerk reaction of 'you do the crime, you > do the time.' It's part of who we are." > > The new teaching builds on the teachings of Francis' two > immediate predecessors. For example, in 1992, in the > catechism promoted by John Paul II, who has since been > canonized, the death penalty was allowed if it was "the only > practicable way to defend the lives of human beings > effectively against the aggressor." > > Where the Death Penalty Is Legal in the United States > Capital punishment is legal in 31 states. Governors have > imposed moratoriums on the death penalty in four of those > states. > > "This didn't come out of nowhere," said John Thavis, a > Vatican expert and author. "John Paul II and Benedict laid > the ground work; he's taking the next logical step." > > "I think this will be a big deal for the future of > the death penalty in the world," he added. "People > who work with prisoners on death row will be > thrilled, and I think this will become a banner > social justice issue for the church." > > Sergio D'Elia, the secretary of Hands Off Cain, an > association that works to abolish capital punishment > worldwide, said, "Now even the most far-flung parish priest > will teach this to young children." > > Mario Marazziti, the coordinator of the global anti-death > penalty campaign of the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Catholic > organization in Rome, said Francis had shifted the church's > teachings from "the practical opposition" of the old > catechism, which acknowledged the church's historical > acceptance of the death penalty, to "absolute rejection," > which "becomes a normal part of teaching and commitment on > the part of the faithful." > > "It becomes binding for bishops, defense of life from the > initial state through all its phases to the very end, even > for those who are guilty," he said. > > "If you don't accept this, you are disobedient, as you would > be if you didn't accept other teachings," he said. "There is > no margin for disagreement." > > It could set off a backlash among American Catholic > traditionalists who have already cast Francis as dangerously > inclined to change or compromise church teaching on other > issues, like permitting communion for Catholics who have > divorced and remarried without getting a church annulment. > > The majority of the world's executions take place in five > countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Pakistan. The > United States was No. 8 on the list in 2017, according to > Amnesty International. > > Recently, there have been calls in some countries to restore > the death penalty. In the Philippines, a primarily Catholic > country, for example, President Rodrigo Duterte has been > pushing to reimpose it. > > In Africa, capital punishment exists in several countries, > but a 2009 synod of African bishops called for a "total and > universal abolition of the death penalty." > > In 2015, four Catholic media outlets in the United States > published a joint editorial calling for the death penalty to > be abolished. They included the liberal-leaning National > Catholic Reporter and the conservative-leaning National > Catholic Register. > > But many conservative Catholics took exception. The Rev. C. > John McCloskey III, an influential teacher and confidant of > countless American politicians and civic leaders, has written > that the church's doctrine "does not and never has advocated > unqualified abolition of the death penalty." > > Francis spoke about his opposition to the death > penalty when he visited the United States in 2015, > saying in his address to the United States Congress > that "every life is sacred, every human person is > endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society > can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those > convicted of crimes." > > On that trip, he visited a Pennsylvania prison and met with a > few inmates and their families. He also wrote a detailed > letter that year to the International Commission against the > Death Penalty, arguing that capital punishment "does not > render justice to the victims, but rather fosters vengeance." > > In it, he made two arguments that specifically spoke to the > American context: The death penalty is illegitimate because > many convictions have later been found to be in error and > have been overturned, and because executions of prisoners in > some states have been badly botched. > > Sister Helen Prejean, whose advocacy for prisoners > on death row was portrayed in the film "Dead Man > Walking," said that Francis had once written a > letter that helped spare a man on death row in > Oklahoma, and that she was certain he was well > aware of the death penalty debate in the United States. > > She said the only time she met Francis -- attending Mass with > him in the small chapel in his guesthouse in January 2016 > -- he asked what had happened to a prisoner in Texas whom she > had enlisted his help in trying to save from execution. She > told him the man had been put to death the night before. > > On Thursday, she said: "It's a happy day. I'm clicking my > heels. What I'm particularly delighted about is there's no > loopholes. It's unconditional." > > But she added: "This is just a change in the > doctrine, and it's on paper. We've still got to > move it into the pews and make it active." > > Elisabetta Povoledo reported from Rome, and Laurie Goodstein > from New York. Adam Liptak contributed reporting from > Washington, and Sewell Chan from New York. > > A version of this article appears in print on Aug. 3, 2018, > on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Pope > Declares Death Penalty Always Wrong. > > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/02/world/europe/pope-death-penalty.html >