'Catholic response to death penalty is not based on who Thomas Creech is, but rather on who we are'

By Deacon Scott Pearhill

ICR Editor

The second attempt to execute Thomas Creech on Nov. 13 forces us to consider the death penalty again. In February, the state of Idaho called off the first attempt following an hour-long, unsuccessful effort to find a vein in which to inject the lethal drugs.

Bishop Peter F. Christensen wrote in his Feb. 26 statement, “As Christians, we are called to oppose the culture of death by witnessing to the Gospel of life. Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy (Mt 5:7). In the light of the Gospel of mercy and hope, our response to the death penalty is not based on who Thomas Creech is, but rather on who we are in Christ.”

Citing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) document “Life Matters: A Catholic Response to the Death Penalty,” Bishop Peter’s Feb. 26 statement noted, “For people committed to upholding the sanctity of human life, the death penalty can present a challenge. Properly understood, however, Catholic teaching against the death penalty is both persuasive and eminently pro-life.”

The reasons why are summarized succinctly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after committing very serious crimes . . . more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.

Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that ̒ the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,’ and [the Church] works with determination for its abolition worldwide” (CCC 2267).

Bishop Peter said in an Oct. 10 ICR interview, “There should be an end to the death penalty for all. It is wrong. The death penalty should be abolished in every state of our great nation.” 

In “Life Matters,” the USCCB asks, “Even if the death penalty was always imposed without error, should we support its use?” They explain that capital punishment adds to our secular culture’s increasing disrespect for human life by “fostering a spirit of vengeance.”

The USCCB document explains that Christians, conscious of their brokenness and need for redemption, believe and hope in a merciful and loving God who calls all to imitate Him more perfectly by witnessing to the inherent dignity of every human being, including those whose actions have been despicable.

Bishop's Feb. 26 Statement on the death penalty