Cardinal William H. Keeler (pictured), archbishop of Baltimore and chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities, made an historic visit to Maryland’s death row and met with Wesley Eugene Baker, who is scheduled to be executed in a few days. Cardinals Keeler, Theodore McCarrick of Washington, DC, and Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, Delaware also sent a letter to Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich urging him to commute Baker’s sentence to life in prison without parole.
“We write as believers, who know that God’s justice is seasoned by His mercy. Mercy is what we ask of you in the case of Mr. Baker.… [Church teaching] acknowledges the right of legitimate government to resort to the death penalty, but it challenges the appropriateness of doing so in a society now capable of defending the public order and ensuring the public’s safety.… [N]o decision of your gubernatorial service can be more momentous than the decision to extend, or to withold the hand of mercy,” the Cardinals wrote in their appeal to Ehrlich.
After his visit, Keeler noted that Catholic leaders have opposed the death penalty for a quarter of a century, and he stated that the late Pope John Paul II believed that capital punishment is “really sending the wrong message about the sacredness of life.” Last month, during the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Bishops approved “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death,” an 18-page statement criticizing the administration of the death penalty in the U.S. and stating that it offers a false hope of healing to the survivors of crime.
Keeler’s visit to Maryland’s death row was the first in modern times by a Maryland bishop. (Baltimore Sun, November 29, 2005). See Clemency and New Voices.
“We write as believers, who know that God’s justice is seasoned by His mercy. Mercy is what we ask of you in the case of Mr. Baker.… [Church teaching] acknowledges the right of legitimate government to resort to the death penalty, but it challenges the appropriateness of doing so in a society now capable of defending the public order and ensuring the public’s safety.… [N]o decision of your gubernatorial service can be more momentous than the decision to extend, or to withold the hand of mercy,” the Cardinals wrote in their appeal to Ehrlich.
After his visit, Keeler noted that Catholic leaders have opposed the death penalty for a quarter of a century, and he stated that the late Pope John Paul II believed that capital punishment is “really sending the wrong message about the sacredness of life.” Last month, during the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Bishops approved “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death,” an 18-page statement criticizing the administration of the death penalty in the U.S. and stating that it offers a false hope of healing to the survivors of crime.
Keeler’s visit to Maryland’s death row was the first in modern times by a Maryland bishop. (Baltimore Sun, November 29, 2005). See Clemency and New Voices.
Citation Guide
Clemency
Nov 27, 2024
Biden Contemplates Federal Commutation Requests
Clemency
Jul 26, 2024
