Office for Justice and Peace
The Death Penalty
A Catholic Challenge to Compassion and Justice
Headline, March 27, 1997: "Vatican Decries Man's Fiery Execution
in Electric Chair" --
How do we respond to this headline?
How do we communicate our Catholic Christian teaching on the Death
Penalty, our faith in the sacredness of ALL human life? In our parishes?
In our workplaces? In our social interactions?
Committee of Catholics Against the Death Penalty in Southern California.
For information, please call Fr. Chris Ponnet (213) 223-9047 or Charles
Eddy (213) 637-7637
Jesus was a Victim of the Death Penalty
A Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty
by Helen Prejean, CSJ
God of Compassion
You let your rain fall on the just and the unjust.
Expand and deepen our hearts
so that we may love as You love,
even those among us
who have caused the greatest pain by taking life.
For there is in our land a great cry to take vengeance
as we fill up death rows and kill the killers
in the name of justice, in the name of peace.
Jesus, our brother,
you suffered execution at the hands of the state
but you did not let hatred overcome you.
Help us to reach out to victims of violence
so that our enduring love may help them heal.
Holy Spirit of God,
You strengthen us in the struggle for justice.
Help us to work tirelessly
for the abolition of state-sanctioned death
and to renew our society in its very heart
so that violence will be no more.
AMEN. |
