As expected, the US bishops yesterday overwhelmingly approved a document on the death penalty, calling on Catholics to oppose it. While I’m also of the opinion that the death penalty as it stands in the US is generally unnecessary, I still have a problem with this document. For one thing, the Church has taught that this teaching is a matter of prudential judgment. A good Catholic can be for or against the death penalty, given a few conditions.
The problem with doing this is that it muddles people’s understanding of the hierarchy of Church teaching. This is how Catholic politicians like Ted Kennedy convince the little old ladies that they’re still good Catholics; they may be pro-abortion, but that’s balanced out by their opposition to the death penalty. I’m with the bishops on this, he says, and on increased government funding for social programs. It also allows Ted Kennedy to also issue statements claiming that Catholic politicians who are opposed to abortion aren’t really pro-life because they are pro-death penalty and then to say, “See, no politician is 100% with the Church on every issue.”
They would have you believe that a handful of murderers eveyr year is equivalent to tens of thousands of innocent infants.
Granted, I am against the death penalty in most cases, and if my choice were between:
Candidate a) anti-abortion/pro-death penalty, and
Candidate b) anti-abortion/anti-death penalty,
Then I’d vote for candidate b. But in any scenario where it’s pro-abortion vs, pro-life, I have to vote pro-life every time.
And so will the majority of pro-lifers. Few people are at risk of being fooled by this. We’re not that stupid.
Dom, I think you drew an interesting line in the sand for the Bishops.
In the case at hand, they expressed a legitimate teaching (echoing JPII.)
You say that such teaching will ‘give the Kennedys of the world’ a chance to be hypocritical.
Ted the Swimmer does not NEED a ‘chance’ to be hypocritical, and the Bishops SHOULD issue prudent teachings.
Were you to argue that the Bishops should unequivocally condemn pols who vote pro-death, I’d agree with you—one wonders how long McCarrick can hold that off—but so what?
These bishops also overwhelmingly permitted altar girls in their dioceses also. These bishops overwhelmingly fail to remind the faithful of the necessity of frequent confession. These bishops overwhelmingly for years looked the other way when homosexual molestation was taking place. These bishops, these bishops, etc., They have about as much credibility, as a group, as does Dan Rather.
Any Catholic who looks to documents produced by the US bishops to help save his soul, would be better served by consulting an astrologer.
“Did anything good ever come out of the USCCB…?”
Vox clamans in deserto…
Except this lot should stay ‘in deserto’…
John the Baptist, they’re not!
Yes, the times they are a-changing. And, unfortunately for many of our American bishops, the current scene has them starkly back lighted as a sorry collection of spineless, faithless drones. Once simply the mantle of bishop gave men like these the aura of holiness and respectability. Now respect must be earned with real courage and leadership. They are now judged by how fearlessly they witness the Gospel to the world not by who they get to dine with, and it is just too much for many of them.
Our new Holy Father is taking his sweet time in appointing new bishops to the empty sees of this land, and you can bet that he will do all he can to make sure that this disgrace is not repeated.
I am more for the death penalty than ever!
It amazes me that the same people who are so against the death penalty for child rapist/murderers and serial killers, have done nothing to save the innocent from state sponsored torture and murder. There shouldn’t be a day that we do not hear about the abomination of murder, especially that of state sponsored and financed killing of inncoent children.
The Bishops are merely voicing a private opinion. My well formed, Catholic conscience will not permit me to agree.
Isabelle