Join with our Bishops in calling for a halt to Federal Executions
Icon of Christ the Prisoner
(Nikolai Tsai)
December 8, 2020
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
The Social Action Council of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church stands in protest against the scheduled executions of:
Brandon Bernard, scheduled for Thursday, December 10, 2020
Alfred Bourgeois, scheduled for Friday, December 11, 2020
Lisa Montgomery, scheduled for Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Cory Johnson, scheduled for January 14, 2021
Dustin Higgs, scheduled for January 15, 2021
As Catholics, we believe in the sanctity of life and the inherent dignity of the human person. This respect for life is upheld for all and is never lost from one’s actions. As Pope John Paul II said, “The dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.” Pope Francis has concluded, “The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe.” Thus, we recognize the dignity of Brandon, Alfred, Lisa, Cory, and Dustin despite the nature of their respective crimes. The gift of life is from God alone; we do not have the power to create or destroy it. Just as we oppose abortion, we oppose capital punishment and other crimes against human dignity.
We do not forget the undeniable grief and tremendous pain of the victims and their family. As a Church, we pray for the healing and peace of all victims of violent crime. We do not, however, condone these planned executions as a form of justice.
We encourage our full parish community to join us and Catholics across the country in calling upon President Trump and Attorney General Barr to grant clemency or to otherwise stop these executions:
Take action: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/action
We also invite our full parish community to pray for Brandon, Alfred, Lisa, Cory, Dustin, and all those on death row.
Join us in vigil here: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/virtual-vigils
May our prayers lead us to a more just nation that affirms the right to life for each person.
Signed,
Members of the Social Action Council
Kaylor Garcia
Marielena Camacho
Drew Doll
Carolyn Kinneen
Alex Charns
Cecilia Barja
Debra Gonzales
Casey Stanton
Robert Singaliese
Catherine Pleil
Amy Oliphant
Rheba Heggs
Patricia Basta
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
The Social Action Council of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church stands in protest against the scheduled executions of:
Brandon Bernard, scheduled for Thursday, December 10, 2020
Alfred Bourgeois, scheduled for Friday, December 11, 2020
Lisa Montgomery, scheduled for Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Cory Johnson, scheduled for January 14, 2021
Dustin Higgs, scheduled for January 15, 2021
As Catholics, we believe in the sanctity of life and the inherent dignity of the human person. This respect for life is upheld for all and is never lost from one’s actions. As Pope John Paul II said, “The dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.” Pope Francis has concluded, “The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe.” Thus, we recognize the dignity of Brandon, Alfred, Lisa, Cory, and Dustin despite the nature of their respective crimes. The gift of life is from God alone; we do not have the power to create or destroy it. Just as we oppose abortion, we oppose capital punishment and other crimes against human dignity.
We do not forget the undeniable grief and tremendous pain of the victims and their family. As a Church, we pray for the healing and peace of all victims of violent crime. We do not, however, condone these planned executions as a form of justice.
We encourage our full parish community to join us and Catholics across the country in calling upon President Trump and Attorney General Barr to grant clemency or to otherwise stop these executions:
Take action: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/action
We also invite our full parish community to pray for Brandon, Alfred, Lisa, Cory, Dustin, and all those on death row.
Join us in vigil here: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/virtual-vigils
May our prayers lead us to a more just nation that affirms the right to life for each person.
Signed,
Members of the Social Action Council
Kaylor Garcia
Marielena Camacho
Drew Doll
Carolyn Kinneen
Alex Charns
Cecilia Barja
Debra Gonzales
Casey Stanton
Robert Singaliese
Catherine Pleil
Amy Oliphant
Rheba Heggs
Patricia Basta
Chair of the Bishops Pro-Life Committee
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Pope Francis' Recent Encyclical |
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“This Advent, the Lord comes to love us even though we don’t deserve it. Let us repent and embrace his gift,” stated Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, chair of the U.S. bishops’ domestic justice committee, and Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, chair of the bishops’ pro-life committee, on Monday.
“We call on President Trump and Attorney General Barr, in recognition of God’s unmerited gift of self-giving love: stop these executions,” the two archbishops said. Read the full statement HERE |
Excerpts from the most recent Papal Encyclical "Fratelli Tutti" regarding the death penalty.
263. There is yet another way to eliminate others, one aimed not at countries but at individuals. It is the death penalty. Saint John Paul II stated clearly and firmly that the death penalty is inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice.[246] There can be no stepping back from this position. Today we state clearly that “the death penalty is inadmissible”[247] and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide.[248] 269. Let us keep in mind that “not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this”.[258] The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe. If I do not deny that dignity to the worst of criminals, I will not deny it to anyone. I will give everyone the possibility of sharing this planet with me, despite all our differences. |
Sr. Helen Prejean, Op-Ed in the Washington Post (12/3/20)
Excerpts:
"Like Montgomery’s, the crimes of the four others scheduled to be executed in December and January are horrifying, yet their paths to the death chamber exemplify a federal death-penalty system that is beyond repair. Two of the men are said to have intellectual disabilities that should have made them ineligible for the death penalty. Another, Brandon Bernard, was 18 when he was involved in the murders of two youth ministers — a husband and wife — in 1999. Bernard would be the youngest person executed by the federal government in nearly 70 years. Still another was convicted in the shooting deaths of three women, but he didn’t fire the shots; the gunman received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Do these men deserve mercy? If they had been tried before a different judge or jury, would they have received life sentences instead?"
The outgoing administration’s actions on capital punishment are diametrically opposed to the thrust toward justice in this country. In the past 15 years, we have shut down state killing chambers at a steady pace, as more and more of us have come to recognize the injustices and mistakes riddling the capital punishment system. Since 1973, 172 wrongfully convicted death-row prisoners have been lucky enough to be exonerated. Our track record of mistakes is so abysmal that, for every 10 people executed since 1977, one wrongfully sentenced-to-death person has been set free. And, even as the federal government sets out to execute 10 people in the last six months of 2020, only seven state executions have taken place, the lowest number since 1983.
Read the full editorial HERE:
"Like Montgomery’s, the crimes of the four others scheduled to be executed in December and January are horrifying, yet their paths to the death chamber exemplify a federal death-penalty system that is beyond repair. Two of the men are said to have intellectual disabilities that should have made them ineligible for the death penalty. Another, Brandon Bernard, was 18 when he was involved in the murders of two youth ministers — a husband and wife — in 1999. Bernard would be the youngest person executed by the federal government in nearly 70 years. Still another was convicted in the shooting deaths of three women, but he didn’t fire the shots; the gunman received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Do these men deserve mercy? If they had been tried before a different judge or jury, would they have received life sentences instead?"
The outgoing administration’s actions on capital punishment are diametrically opposed to the thrust toward justice in this country. In the past 15 years, we have shut down state killing chambers at a steady pace, as more and more of us have come to recognize the injustices and mistakes riddling the capital punishment system. Since 1973, 172 wrongfully convicted death-row prisoners have been lucky enough to be exonerated. Our track record of mistakes is so abysmal that, for every 10 people executed since 1977, one wrongfully sentenced-to-death person has been set free. And, even as the federal government sets out to execute 10 people in the last six months of 2020, only seven state executions have taken place, the lowest number since 1983.
Read the full editorial HERE: