To the editor:
With the recent executions of death-row inmates by the federal government, an alarming trend has begun. Contrary to the strong evidence that there is an unfair application of the death penalty, its decline in support by a majority of Americans and the outcries of families of victims against executions, the U.S. Justice Department has decided to push forward, even with a number of legal challenges.
When he appeared before a joint session of Congress in 2015, Pope Francis asked the American people to end the use of the death penalty and clarified the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding its use: “The Catholic Church teaches that the death penalty is ‘inadmissible’ in all cases because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
This teaching is rooted in the belief that life is a gift from God that we must respect and protect. We cannot teach respect for life by taking life.
Rev. Kevin E. McKenna
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Flower City Park
Rochester
