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Jesus: a Victim of Capital Punishment
We worship a God whose Son died as a common criminal despite His innocence. During this week when we recall the execution of Jesus Christ, we hear our Pope and Bishops call us as Catholic Christians to work for an end to the death penalty in our state and in our nation.
“A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew my appeal for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary” (Pope John Paul II, Jan. 27, 1999, St. Louis, Missouri).
‘Respect for all human life and opposition to the violence in our society are at the root of our long-standing position against the death penalty. We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing. We oppose capital punishment, not just for what it does to those guilty of horrible crimes, but for what it does to all of us as a society. The death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life by taking life.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1998
Did you know?
- On Nov. 15, 2007, The United States Catholic Bishops released a document expressing consensus on opposition to the death penalty and seeking to provide a "consistent moral framework" for assessing political platforms. In a statement titled "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility," the Bishops state: “Our nation’s continued reliance on the death penalty cannot be justified.”
- The United Nations General Assembly has voted to urge a global moratorium on the death penalty, over the objections of the U.S., China, Iran and Sudan.
- More than 210 men and women await execution on North Carolina’s death row. Only four states have more death row inmates than North Carolina.
What can I do?
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