Black man Glenn Ford was released from prison in Louisana on Tuesday.
He spent 30 years on death row. He had been wrongly convicted of the murder of a white man.
Mr Ford is the 144th death row inmate to be exonerated in 40 years int he US.
Alabama, California, Florida and Missouri are among the states in the US, that are currently speeding up the process of executions. They are also whittling down the resources to appeals.
What does the Catholic Church in the US, around the world, have to say about this barbaric behaviour?
At the beginning of Lent church websites were inundated with 'holy ideas' for the Lenten season. Has there been a word spoken by anyone in the church about executions in the United States of America?
Then again, not a word on right-wing US radio stations on the release of Mr Ford.
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2 comments:
There is a good bit of material that is relevant here, Michael. What follows is part of a document issued by the USA Catholic Bishops' Conference some time ago.
Catholic teaching, as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other statements of the Vatican and the bishops, makes clear that the use of the death penalty cannot be justified when the state has other ways to protect society.
n The death penalty in our land is deeply flawed. More than 115 people on death row have been exonerated. The death penalty is unfairly applied due to many factors, including where a crime is committed, the race of the victim and
offender, and the quality and costs of defense.
n Catholics are re-examining and changing their minds about the use of the death penalty. Less than half of all Catholics now support the use of the death penalty, down substantially from past years.
The death penalty diminishes all of us. Its use ought to be abandoned not only for what it does to those who are executed, but what it does to us as a society. We cannot teach respect for life by taking life.
This tragic case once again highlights why the death penalty is wrong.
DJM
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