Respect Life 
and 
Human Dignity

Good Friday, April 2, 1999

The following statement on Capital Punishment is made by Most Reverend Thomas J. O'Brien, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.

Today I join my brother bishops across the country in a Good Friday appeal to end the death penalty. The Administrative Board of the United States Bishop's Conference, of which I am a member, has asked every Bishop to call for an end to the death penalty in the United States on the day when we recall the execution of Jesus Christ.

Our modern culture has provided us with ever-greater ways to be informed of events that occur, not only within our own community, but also around the world. We see scenes of human beings committing unspeakable acts of cruelty, inflicting violence upon their brothers and sisters. All of us are appalled by such conduct and there is a part of us that calls out for retribution. That is natural. We may even cry out that the person who did this does not deserve to live.

For much of its history, the Catholic Church has acknowledged a state's right to use the death penalty as a "legitimate defense" against the danger that some people pose to public order and the safety of citizens.

But, just as we have grown in our ability to see the signs of violence that exist in our world, so too we have grown in ways to protect citizens from those who endanger their welfare. Today, there are other means at our disposal than the death penalty to punish the guilty, while protecting the innocent.

With this in mind, there has been a development in the Catholic Church's teaching on capital punishment. Today the Church teaches that "as a result of the steady improvements in the organization of the penal system" cases in which the death penalty is an "absolute necessity" are "rare if not practically non-existent." (Quotations taken from: Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II, 1995)

When he was in St. Louis this past January, Pope John Paul II presented an unconditionally pro-life point of view, not only by defending the innocent life of the unborn baby, but also by defending the lives of those who have committed capital offenses.

Given the degree of violence in our nation, it is understandable that many people, including Catholics, continue to support capital punishment. One fundamental way to lessen violence is to promote the dignity of life. Whenever human life is treated cheaply, or we look upon one person as less deserving of life than another, we foster a value system that can justify violence, whether it is committed as a crime, or in the name of the state.

On this Good Friday, we recall the death of an innocent man. When we read the account of the passion and death of Jesus Christ, we are horrified as we hear the crowds cry out, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!" Should this be the voice of our nation? Do we want to be remembered, as a people who have progressed greatly in areas of technology, but remain with the same hearts as those who called for the death of Jesus? Isn't there a better way for us to protect ourselves against the evils of some without choosing to be a society that promotes death?

I believe that it is time that we teach our children how valuable human life is and that every life is precious. We can punish the guilty without resorting to killing. This issue is of particular concern because there are over 120 persons on death row in our state.

As we remember the execution of Christ, I ask the Catholics of the Diocese of Phoenix to inform themselves about the death penalty and to join me in opposition to it.

This is not an easy issue and all of us need to consider how we will stand up for life, support and stand with the victims of crime, and work for a society that does not resort to the violence of the death penalty to solve its problems of violence.