Testimony and Statements

Question of the Death Penalty (approved April 3, 1998; 26 nations in favor, 13 against, 12 abstentions) 30^th March 1998 Commission on Human Rights Fifty-fourth session Agenda Item 13 E/CN.4/1998/L.12 The Commission on Human Rights, Recalling article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the right of everyone to life, article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and articles 6 and 37 (a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Recalling…

Resolution Opposing the Death Penalty: Adopted unanimously by the General Assembly of the Texas Conference of Churches February 24, 1998 WHEREAS the Texas Conference of Churches, in 1973 and 1977, and many of the churches and judicatories belonging to the Texas Conference of Churches have made clear statements in opposition to and calling for the abolition of the death penalty; and WHEREAS the Bible does authorize every government to “bear the sword” (Rom. 13:4) and the governments and…

NEWS RELEASE, IOWA CATHOLIC CONFERENCE Timothy McCarthy, Executive Director, Iowa Catholic Conference 505 5^th Ave., Ste 818, Des Moines, IA 50309 – 2393 515/243‑6256 The Catholic Bishops of Iowa speak out in opposition to the death penalty and its possible reinstatement in the state of Iowa. The Bishops have updated their statement of January 23, 1995. Both statements call for the recognition of the sacredness of life from conception through natural death. The new statement acknowledges the…

PHILADELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A MORATORIUM ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT FAIRNESS IN ITS ADMINISTRATION CAN BE ENSURED Adopted by the Board of Governors November 25, 1997, voting 18 to 10. WHEREAS, the American Bar Association, on February 3, 1997, adopted a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions until such time that policies and procedures are implemented to “(1) ensure that death penalty procedures are administered fairly and impartially, in…

October 20, 1997 As spiritual leaders in the community we Catholic Bishops of Texas are acutely aware of the violence in our state. Despite a growing reliance on longer sentences, more prisons, and more executions, our state’s crime rate has escalated. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have repeatedly condemned its use as a violation of the sanctity of human life. Capital punishment, along with abortion and…

The Vatican issued the definitive Latin language version of its Universal Catechism on September 9, 1997. The primary change in the catechism focuses on legitimate defense and the death penalty . The new version reads: “The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude … recourse to the death penalty when it is the only practical way to efficiently defend the lives of human beings from the unjust aggressor.” It continues, “Today, in fact, because the means states have to repress crime…