Catholic Church on the Death Penalty, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Death penalty is a legal action of the state of putting to death an individual by death. The offences that necessitate such an action are capital offences. Methods of executing death penalty include decapitation, lethal injections, hanging and even death by firing squad. Death penalty is a practice that has been in place since time immemorial in many countries of the world (Megivern, 271). However, due to the activities of human rights activists, religious movements and civil groups, this trend has slowly changed with many countries of the world abolishing it. By 2010, only 58 countries were actively practicing it (Amnesty, 227). The debate as to whether death penalty should be abolished or not has been a subject of heated debate in many countries for a long time. This has brought in players from all spheres of life starting with religion, administrators, psychologists and even academicians. Among all this groups, the one that has enlisted a lot of interest is the changing ground of Catholic Church as far as this contentious issue is concerned. Over the years the Catholic Church has held different grounds in their opinion as far as death penalty is concerned. Whilst some of its leaders supported it, others were against it.

Death penalty and early Catholic Church

A wide known anomaly occurred in the 1990s. This is the year when the Catholic Church approved catechism in over 4oo years. Pope John Paul II called this as a “full complete exposition of catholic doctrine, enabling everyone to know what the church professes…” the element that distinguished between the original and original versions of the church’s stand on death penalty is the manner in which it was defined. The catechism asserts that the state has a right and duty to punish offenders in commensurate with the gravity of their mistakes. However, in their endeavor to achieve this they should not violate other people’s right of living. Additionally the catechism holds that the principle aim of a punishment is to redress the disorder that has been caused by the offence (Avery, 113).

From this catechism, it is clear that it supports the church’s earlier stand on capital punishment. It held that it was right as long as it is in commensurate with the offence and was done to safeguard public interest. Additionally, the call to use bloodless means agrees of the church doctrines that Christians should show mercy rather than vengeance in all their undertakings, including that one carrying out justice for the sake of society.

In the year 1997 when the second edition of catechism appeared, many faithful were surprised to find that the clause on capital punishment had been removed. Furthermore, the idea that capital punishment was meant to deter re-occurrence of capital crimes was reduced. During the transition period, Pope Paul II issued a vital encyclical letter by the title ‘human life’. It is this document that many faithful believe that it was the pope’s way of communicating to the Christians as to why he omitted the section on human life and dignity. This includes such issues abortion, sex and capital punishment. In this 1997 version of catechism, it further dropped the argument that capital punishment should be done for the sake of public order. The only justification that remained is that it should be done to protect the life of other human beings against an aggressor (Avery, 115).

Before the catechism

Of course, before the changes to the catholic catechism, there were various teachings on this topic. The Catholic Church’s response to crime and punishment is rooted in biblical teachings of what is good and bad, justice vs. mercy and sin vs. redemption. From the opening chapters of the whole book, it reaffirms that life is a gift from the creator – God. He is the author of life the one to gives life or takes it away. The old testament asserts that all people were created in the image and likeness of God. Based on these teachings one can say no body is or should be allowed to take away the life of the other (catholic culture website).

Under the Old Testament, for instance the bible cites about 36 offences for which an individual should be punished by death. These include rape, adultery, blasphemy, murder, disrespecting parents, bestiality among others. It is due to such witness of the bible that some Christians support death penalty. Some have gone as far as citing Leviticus (24:18) to support capital punishment. This is the famous verse that says an eye for an eye; tooth for tooth etc. similarly in the New Testament also has some instances that seem to support capital punishment. For example in Mathew 5:4 Jesus said, “He, who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die”. Additionally the thief on the cross with Jesus is said to openly acknowledge that he deserved his death for the sins committed. This also makes most people or Christians advocate for the death sentence on some types of crimes.

Based on this teachings , the early authors of Christian literature confirmed the right and duty of civil authorities to impose the death penalty on certain crimes. They further went ahead to argue that lack of capital punishment will make a society prone to civil strife and rampant killing of the weak and innocent thus leading to chaos. Whilst the founding fathers of the church acknowledged the use of force to stop injustices, there was resistance in mobilizing the faithful to participate in state sanctioned violence. Writers like Origen and Tertullian manifested an open preference for aversion and mercy even under times of serious offences (catholic culture website).

In 313 there was Christian rising which together with edict of Milan by Constantine confirmed a unanimous support for death penalty but under very limited grounds. For instance, Augustine argued that Christian participation in legal killings of criminals or war did not contravene the bible teachings. If anything it was meant to protect the commandment “thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). This went on for centuries until the time of Pope Innocent III (1161-1216) who sanctioned death penalty so long as justice and prudence was the overriding reasons. He cautioned against use of this sanction to kill innocent people. In the year 1215 the church exercised its solemn teaching authority by declaring that ‘no cleric may decree or pronounce a sentence involving shed of blood, carry out such punishment or even be present when such punishment is executed’. The 4th Lateran council promulgated this.

Concisely, it can be concluded that whereas widening alliances between the civic realms and ecclesiastical made the catholic church accept participation of its followers in execution processes, popes and even some bishops openly denied the clergy and monks to directly involve themselves in such acts. In the later years, Thomas Aquinas (the scholastic doctor) was quoted saying ‘the state and ecclesiastical courts should cease application of capital punishment except under very grave offenses like treason and murder’.

Recent history

The death penalty discussion still remain as one of the most debatable issues between the church and state today just as it was many centuries ago. This can be attributed to the fact that we live in a constantly changing environment. For instance commenting on the connection between church and state, the current Pope Benedict XVI said that ‘the church can not and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She can not and must not replace the state.’ This clearly shows that there are issues between state and church that remain unresolved death penalty probably being one of them (Robert, 213).

The church respects the role that state plays in promoting law and order and does not want to override it. Nevertheless, issues like capital punishment remain very touching that the church can not just sit and watch without offering direction. This will undermine the church’s authority promoting a culture of life. All human beings were created in the likeness of God and so should be respected to the last minute. Immediately after World War II, many countries of the world started questioning of the right of a state to impose death penalty on its citizens. The Catholic Church especially in the US followed this when they declared their open opposition against capital punishment. This was championed by the catholic conference of the US in 1974. This continued until 1976 when the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in the American judicial system. This was after the expiry of 4 years moratorium over the same. Still even after this, the Papal commission on justice and peace opposed this decision of the court (US congress, 131).

Since the 1980s, the stand of Catholic Church has more or less remained the same. It aims to restrain, limit and ultimately bring to an end the use of capital punishment. In the US, for instance the conference of catholic bishops has been advocating for stoppage to usage of death penalty form of punishment since the 1990s. This can evidenced by their report released in 2000 entitled ‘Responsibility, rehabilitation and restoration: a catholic perspective on crime and criminal justice’. This clearly shows the renewed vigour of the church to bring to an end to this form of punishment in our societies. Most recently in 2005 the Catholic Church began a national campaign whose major aim was to teach and mobilize the public (whether Christians or not) to call for an end to capital punishment. They wanted to make the church’s ground clear on this burning issue.

Pope John Paul II’s example

The immediate past pope also spoke, taught and wrote a lot about the catholic stand on death penalty. He is remembered for his immense contribution on human dignity issues like abortion, euthanasia, condom usage and of course death penalty. He also lived by example. He openly and passionately wrote against the use of this form of punishment and pleaded for clemency for the victims. He tirelessly challenged the society’s continued usage of the death penalty even when it seemed unjustified. He called on the Christians to extend mercy even when it appeared unwarranted. The pope showed this in 1999 homily at the papal mass in St. Louis. The pope called for all worshippers to join in the new evangelization that calls for all followers of Christ to pro actively defend life of all individuals including to those who have been deemed to have committed grave offences. He then called for ‘a consensus to the end of the death penalty, which is cruel and unnecessary’.

The holy fathers’ strong stand on this issue was exhibited by his own personal life. This was in 1981 when a Turkish man shot him with a major aim of killing the pontiff. Shooting at the pope leave alone injuring him, warranted the assailant a maximum penalty that there ever is in the law – death penalty. Surprisingly, regardless of the suffering and high esteem of his office, the pope did not seek vengeance, instead extended a hand of mercy to the assassin. The pontiff went ahead to pray with the victim in his prison cell and pleaded with the authorities to release him. This was done in 2000 during the jubilee celebrations. This was truly a witness of tremendous mercy from the highest office of the Catholic Church. This alone was enough evidence that the Catholic Church is against the death penalty (catholic culture, 193).

Conclusion

The topic of death penalty remains a very hot debate now than ever before. As to whether the church supports it or not should not be the overriding criteria for policy makers to act on. Instead, fairness and human considerations should be the major discerning criteria. We cannot protect life by taking another life. The church also should move a step higher and teach all humanity as to the need to love and show mercy to one another as Christ taught us. Human life is sacred and thus should be safe guarded by all costs.

Works cited

The official catholic culture website available at: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=8506

Cardinal Avery Dulles, “Catholicism and Capital Punishment,” First Things, April 2001. Megivern, James J., The Death Penalty: An Historical and Theological Survey, Paulist Press, New York/ Mahwah, N.J., 1997, 10.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death: The Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty,” 2005.

Robert Weisberg, “The Death Penalty Meets Social Science: Deterrence and Jury Behavior Under New Scrutiny,” Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Vol. 1:151-170, December 2005.

Amnesty International, “List of Abolitionist and Retentionist Countries, “http://www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/index/ACT500052000