Jan. 10 CONNECTICUT: Catholics will be urged to oppose death penalty for Ross With the clock ticking on serial killer Michael Ross's execution, the state's Roman Catholic bishops are asking followers to sign a petition opposing the death penalty. In a letter to be read in all 87 parishes in the Bridgeport Diocese this weekend, Bishop William Lori said the church teaches Catholics must respect all human life -- even that of murderers -- from conception to natural death. Similar letters will be read in the Archdiocese of Hartford and the Diocese of Norwich. "A consistent ethic of life recognizes the fundamental human dignity and rights even of those whose actions are morally repugnant and dangerous to the well-being of society," Lori wrote. Ross, who has confessed to brutally murdering eight women -- 6 in Connecticut -- is scheduled to die Jan. 26 in the state's 1st execution in 45 years. "The death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life only by taking life," Hartford Archbishop Henry Mansell wrote in a separate letter that will be read to Catholics upstate. The bishops are preparing their flocks for a petition that will be circulated in parishes across the state next weekend. It calls on the state Legislature to overturn the death penalty. It's not clear how much the bishops' words will resonate with parishioners. According to a 2003 University of Connecticut poll, 58 % of Connecticut residents favor the death penalty. A Quinnipiac Poll 2 years ago found that 42 % of Connecticut residents identify themselves as Catholics, and 56 % say they were raised as Catholics. But there is also a disconnect between church teaching and public practice, which James O'Toole, a history professor at Boston College, discusses in a new book, "Religion and Public Life in New England: Steady Habits, Changing Slowly." O'Toole notes that while New England's Catholic bishops consistently condemned legislation to reimpose the death penalty, Catholic legislators continued to be among capital punishment's most regular supporters. State Rep. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, and State Rep. Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, are among the Catholics in the state Legislature who support the death penalty for the most serious crimes. Cafero said he doesn't buy the argument that the death penalty will deter crime, or that it costs taxpayers less than caring for and feeding prisoners for life. He said it's about right and wrong and consequences. "I believe, and many of my constituents believe, there are certain crimes that are so heinous and so reprehensible that the only appropriate punishment -- the only way for society to bring closure -- is through the death penalty," Cafero said. Other Catholics in the Legislature, including state Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, prefer life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Whatever position Catholics take on the issue, the Rev. Greg Markey, pastor of St. Mary Church in Norwalk, said they will remain in good standing with the church. He said the church views the death penalty differently from abortion or euthanasia, which involve the taking of innocent human life and are "intrinsically evil." "The death penalty is a different issue," Markey said. "It deals with how the government punishes criminals." While Catholics can be on either side of the issue, Markey said, he expects most St. Mary's parishioners to sign the petition. "I think most people will go along with it," he said. "This is something the pope is asking for and something the bishop is asking for, and I think out of respect for them, they'll do it." The Rev. Joseph Malloy, pastor of St. Clement's Church in Stamford, said he doesn't expect the death penalty petition to be as controversial as the petition Lori circulated last year asking Catholics in Fairfield County to oppose same-sex marriage. While some parishioners are politically liberal, he said, many firmly believe the government should not play God. "To kill a person would sort of take the stance of being God and making a decision about life and death," Malloy said. Alex Mikulich, a professor of religious studies at St. Joseph College in West Hartford, said that at one time Roman Catholic teaching left open the possibility that legitimate political and legal authorities could impose the death penalty. That changed when the Vatican rewrote the catechism in 1997, he said. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops now calls for a complete rejection of the death penalty, in accordance with Catholic teaching to uphold the human dignity of all persons. "For one thing, we don't need the death penalty any longer to protect society. Individuals who are a threat to society can be incarcerated for life," Mikulich said, adding that most Western democracies have gotten rid of the death penalty in favor of reconciliation programs "that can protect society and make it possible for society to live justly and in peace." Those who view such goals as misplaced idealism miss the point of Catholic teaching, which is the power of redemption, Mikulich said. "I am as much in need of God's redemption as Michael Ross," Mikulich said. "He's not an alien. He grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Cornell. What we have to look at is how we are creating a culture of death, the way we perpetuate the very evil that we purport to reject." The Catholic bishops are joined by leaders of other faiths in their opposition to capital punishment. "There are many things that divide the religious community, but this is not one of them," said the Rev. Allie Perry, who leads an anti-war, interfaith coalition. "The religious community has been remarkably united on this, because at the heart of all religious commitment is the sacredness of life, the commandment that we not kill." Even so, she acknowledged that much of the public seems to accept that death is a just punishment for Michael Ross' crimes. "These are horrific crimes. It's human to feel angry and to call for revenge and retaliation," she said. "But if retaliation and retribution is the basis of law, then we become that which we abhor." The Rev. Walter Everett of United Methodist Church in Hartford, whose 24-year-old son Scott was shot to death in Bridgeport in 1987, said he opposed the death penalty before his son's murder and still does. "The death penalty does not do for the victim's family what they expect it will -- it doesn't give them back what they have lost, and someone else's son has also been killed," he said. Everett got to know his son's killer, and even spoke on his behalf before the parole board. The man now has a steady job and speaks at colleges and universities about addiction and the harm he caused. "He's doing a lot of good for the world," Everett said. His reconciliation with his son's killer "was the thing that saved my emotional and spiritual life. I couldn't do it any other way." (source: Hartford Courant, Jan. 8) USA: Life without parole is the proper punishment Caitlin Marinelli is a senior at Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville. The recent death sentence in Scott Peterson's trial resurrected the discussion of capital punishment among Americans. One issue that surfaced was the long time it takes to carry out a death sentence due to the convicted criminal's right to an appeal. Often, the criminals and the lawyers benefit while the families of the victims are hounded by the media - waiting, hoping for closure. Perhaps we could consider the ideas of the Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. It suggests that persons convicted of capital murder should serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before the possibility of parole, and in certain cases imprisonment should be for life with no possibility of parole at all. While incarcerated, the prisoner could engage in meaningful, rehabilitative work that affords purpose and dignity, and at the same time allows for earnings to pay for the inmate's incarceration. A portion of the prisoner's salary could be deposited in a fund for the victims of violent crime and their families. Such funds could also provide financial help for families that have lost wage earners to murder. The choice that Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty offers will benefit the families of the victims and remind the criminals of their crimes, as they would be forced to bear the burdens of those offenses every day. Would this be the humane response of a society that chooses life and teaches the value of life to its young? (source: The Advocate)
