Statement of Conscience
Recognizing our communities' pressing concerns about crime and punishment, we come together as religious leaders representing California's diverse faith traditions to address the question of the death penalty.
We are deeply disturbed by violent crime and are grieved by the suffering of its victims. Our hearts and hands reach out to those victims and their families, and we acknowledge the natural fear created by the violence in many of our communities. We affirm that the people in our communities are entitled to protection from those who would do harm.
We acknowledge that violent actions have consequences, that offenders should be held accountable, and that communities need ways to find healing. We affirm that restitution to victims and their loved ones and rehabilitation of the offender should be our goals rather than punishment meted out for its own sake or in a spirit of vengeance.
In that spirit we re-affirm the strong teachings of our respective faith communities which hold that capital punishment is not an appropriate response to these problems. We believe that the death penalty is morally untenable, particularly when we have the means necessary to protect ourselves from those who would kill. Violence is simply not the answer to the problem of violence.
This is a key moment in the history of our state. California now has the largest death row in the United States and continues to expand the categories of capital crimes at an alarming rate. Legislation is currently proposed which would truncate the appeals process and lead to a significant increase in the number of executions. These changes could loose an onslaught of executions which would, by necessity, include the mentally retarded and those with other mental dysfunction, children, those poorly represented in court, and the innocent.
We pledge to maintain a strong voice of opposition to the death penalty and to work for its abolition. We will encourage our fellow Californians to oppose efforts to expand the number of capital prosecutions and executions. We will educate our religious communities about the death penalty and its alternatives, such as life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and restitution to the family of the victim.
Together we call upon our sisters and brothers in our faith communities, as well as California?s elected leaders, to join us in working toward the abolition of the death penalty. Finally, we invite all people of good will to join us in choosing moral courage over fear and creative solutions over ineffective responses to questions of violent crime and punishment.
Together we can create truly just solutions that respect the human dignity of each and every member of society.
Sign this statement and return to:
The Office of Detention Ministry
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010
