REFLECTION ON THE DEATH PENALTY
BY SISTER BRENDA WALSH, RACINE DOMINICAN
In recent times, the death penalty has
been discussed as a political and a moral issue. We know from study
after study that the death penalty does not deter crime. In fact,
some studies show that States that do not support the death penalty
fare better than those states that do. We also know that people of
color and low-income people who are very poor are much more likely
to end up on death row. We know too, that in recent years, some
innocent people have been wrongfully executed.
The death penalty is much more than a
political issue. It is most of all a moral issue. As a people who
support life, we know that life belongs only to God. We need to
apply our life ethic to every phase of a person’s life. We believe
that all life is sacred and we are not authorized to take the life
of another, not even the life of a murderer. Does that mean we are
soft on crime or have no sympathy or compassion for the victim’s
families? Absolutely not! We are called to minister to and pray for
the families of both victim and offender. Often the strongest voice
opposing the death penalty is coming from families of murder
victims. Their motto is “Not in our Name.” They want to know that
people who favor the death penalty do not speak for them. They feel
strongly that the cycle of violence will not be broken by
state-sanctioned killings.
A few years ago, I heard one member of the
group opposed to the death penalty, speak to an audience at
Marquette University. His name is Bud Welch. His only daughter,
Julie, graduated from Marquette. She was bright, successful and full
of compassion for people’s needs. She found a government job in the
Federal building in Oklahoma city. She was about to announce her
engagement to her friend, Eric. We all know the rest of the story. A
bomb ripped the building apart and killed many of the workers in the
building, including Julie.
Her father, Bud, said there were no words
to describe his rage and hatred when the news of Julie’s death came.
He was always against the death penalty. Now his feelings denied
that stance. He said: “:I know I was temporarily insane.” Then he
recalled something Julie had said earlier when they heard on the
radio about another execution in Texas. She said: “Dad, all they’re
doing is teaching hate to their children in Texas. It has no social
redeeming value.”
For eight months, Bud Welch struggled for
peace and hope but couldn’t find any. Deep down he knew he didn’t
want his daughter’s killer put to death. So he found a way to meet
the father of Tim McVeigh, one of the perpetrators of the crime. He
went to the home of Bill McVeigh in rural New York, just outside of
Buffalo. They shared family stories and they got to know each other
a bit on a Saturday morning. Bud Welch discovered that Mr. McVeigh
was equally a victim of circumstances. Few people had sympathy for
the family of the killer. Both families were suffering intensely
from what happened in Oklahoma. Bud said to the family before he
left. ”We are all in this for the rest of our lives. I don’t want’
Tim killed. I will do everything in my power to prevent it.” He and
others have been speaking against the death penalty ever since.
In 1995, Pope John Paul 11 called on
American Catholics to be committed to the defense of all human
life, challenging his listeners to renew their efforts to end state
sanctioned killings. He reminded people that violence only begets
more violence.
Today, let us respond to God’s call to be
instruments of peace and healing. Let us pray for the victims of
violence and their families. Let us pray also for all prisoners,
especially those who are on death row. Let us work to root out the
causes of violence that is so pervasive in our society. Let us also
work to break the cycle of violence, including the death penalty,
and work to create a community/society guided by the mercy and
compassion of our God.
May God direct our feet on the path of
peace.
