Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/24/2000

Executing a killer doesn't bring closure or healing. Take the higher road

By Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua

Debate about the death penalty in the United States has intensified recently. A recent study by Columbia University concluded that two out of three death sentences were overturned on appeal because of serious errors made during the trial process and sentencing. This study and other items in the news afford me the opportunity to restate the Catholic Church's position on capital punishment.

For centuries, the church acknowledged the right of the state to impose capital punishment for certain crimes. Today, the church upholds this teaching but distinguishes between the state's right and the state's decision to exercise this right. In the past, the death penalty was used to protect society from further danger by a criminal. This need hardly exists today in the United States, given our present penal system. Current Catholic teaching recognizes that there are nonviolent ways to protect society and still hold convicted offenders accountable.

My remarks should, in no way, be misconstrued as lacking in compassion for the victims of a capital crime or sympathy for families victimized by crime. Those who suffer unimaginable grief as a result of the senseless murder of one dear to them deserve the love and support of everyone, their families, friends and churches, as well as the compassion and care of the communities in which they live.

I believe, however, that closure and healing begin not with the taking of the offender's life as vengeance, but with forgiveness, which leads to true peace. All people of good will can be inspired by Pope John Paul II's example of forgiveness toward Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who attempted to assassinate the Pope in 1981. Throughout Agca's 19 years in prison, the Pope made repeated appeals for clemency, and he applauded Agca's recent release to Turkish officials.

It is a fundamental teaching of the Catholic Church that every human life is sacred from conception to natural death. This teaching is the foundation of the church's position against abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide. Even the worst offender of another's rights remains a human person, created in God's image and possessing a dignity, value and worth which must be promoted, safeguarded and defended. Every life is precious, even the life of one who, in the most horrendous manner, has taken the life of another.

Human life is not qualified by what we do; it is a value in itself.

Advocates for the death penalty often raise three reasons for capital punishment:

First, capital punishment serves as an act of retribution. The church does not argue with the principle that, ordinarily, someone who has broken the law should pay for his or her crime. What it does question is whether the infliction of the death penalty is necessary and reasonable punishment in light of our present penal system.

Second, it is claimed that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. Most, if not all, of the recent studies reveal that, since many capital offenses such as murder are committed in a compromised condition, whether that be passion, drugs or alcohol, the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent. At the time of the homicide, the offender is not thinking of the possibility that he or she will pay with his or her life.

Third, the death penalty removes the threat of further danger to society by eliminating the source of the danger. But this threat could just as easily be addressed by a life sentence without parole.

Whether society is aware of it or not, the only other reason for inflicting the death penalty is vengeance. Vengeance, however, can never be a motive for taking the life of another. We give in to our basest instincts when we allow our actions to be motivated by "evening the score." The Church believes that even the worst offenders possess the potential to reform their lives and make a positive contribution to society. They also have the right to reconcile themselves to God for the crimes they have committed. Every person, even the hardened criminal, is called by God to be a saint.

The Catholic Church stands firm in its defense of life. While punishment for convicted criminals is just, vengeance is never a Christian or human rationale for inflicting the death penalty. This is not an easy path, but it certainly challenges us to discover the higher road of our humanity.

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Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua is archbishop of Philadelphia.