SAN ANTONIO — The Catholic Association of Latino Leaders has endorsed the California ballot measure Proposition 34, advocating the repeal of the death penalty.
“We truly believe strongly that capital punishment's day is over. There was a time and a place for that. It is no longer that time, and it is no longer that place,” association president and CEO Robert Aguirre told EWTN News Oct. 30.
“We really encourage the people of California to help lead the nation to the elimination of capital punishment.”
The proposal would replace California's death penalty with a sentence of life in prison without parole. If it passes, the sentences of almost 725 convicted death-row inmates will be reduced to life in prison.
The measure would also dedicate $100 million in the state budget for police agencies to solve more homicide and rape cases, NBC San Diego reports.
The Texas-based Catholic Latino group, whose largest chapter is in Los Angeles, joins other Proposition 34 supporters, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the League of Women Voters and judges and attorneys.
Aguirre said the ballot measure presented an opportunity to add “a Hispanic business and professional voice” to supporters of the measure in the belief that “all life is sacred, and killing does not end killing.”
The group wanted to support the bishops’ position on life issues, including capital punishment. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that Church teaching “does not exclude recourse to the death penalty if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.” However, it also states that the necessity for using the death penalty today is “very rare, if not practically non-existent."
Opponents of the measure include Mark Kaas, whose 12-year-old daughter Polly was kidnapped and killed in Petaluma, Calif., in 1993. He told NBC San Diego he believes in capital punishments for people like Richard Allen Davis, the convicted murderer of his daughter who is now on death row.
Aguirre said Oct. 29 that the Catholic Association for Latino Leaders recognizes the “profound anguish” of those who have lost a loved one to violence” and offers them their prayers.
“Nothing can undo the terrifying memories of violence that have been inflicted, not even taking the life of the convicted killer,” he said.
The California Catholic bishops backed Proposition 34 in a January statement, saying that the death penalty is “no longer necessary to protect the community.
“As Catholics we hold human life as sacred. In the exercise of justice, this principle must prevail in the manner we treat one another, even for those who have done grave harm.”
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Fine… I’m no DP advocate and have no problem with it being gone. The Holy Father’s exhortation in Evangelium Vitae is profound and powerful.
Saying that, I wish I’d see more of a push from Latino Catholics on the non-negotiables.
Latino Catholics, outside of Cubans, are a steady eddie part of the DNC, which is fine if they brought social conservatism to the forefront. They don’t right now (neither do African Americans for that matter)
The Latino Protestants are RNC for the most part, which is okay too, though I worry they become too neo-con and focused on economic conservatism
We shouldnt advocate denying justice for the families of the victims of violent crime. The criminals should be executed as promptly and inexpensively as possible. Lets keep the death penalty and fix what is blocking up its needed use in the legal system such as endless appeals.
The Death Penalty should never be used for vengence only to protect the lives of others (including guards and other prisoners).
This decision is with the Jury, who has heard all the details.
In the USA the guilty party has many years to repent before imposition of the death penalty.
When Bishops or Priests politic and do not follow the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” exactly, it can harm their credibility in all matters.
CCC: ” 2267 Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty,
if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”
In “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion, General Principles” Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict has stated:
“Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion.”
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