RELIGIOUS VIEWS: Connecticut Archbishop Asks Parishoners to Protest the Death Penalty

As Connecticut prepares to carry out its first execution in over 40 years, Catholic Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of Hartford called on local parishes to sign a Church petition that calls for an end to capital punishment. “The death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life only by taking life,” Mansell wrote in a letter that will be read during Masses on January 8 and 9. Other bishops in Connecticut are taking similar actions prior to the scheduled execution of Michael Ross on January 26.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for a complete rejection of the death penalty, in accordance with Catholic teaching to uphold the human dignity of all persons. Archbishop Mansell is part of a broad spectrum of religious leaders and groups seeking to halt executions in the state. Many of these leaders will hold a press conference publicly calling for the abolition of the death penalty on January 12 on the state Capitol steps. (Hartford Courant, January 6, 2005). See Statements from Religious Organizations and New Voices.