Released on August 15, 2020
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
We, the Missionary Families of Christ, reject in every way, the proposed re-imposition of the Death Penalty in our country. We are against the Culture of Death and commit to defend faith, family and life. We are against the Death Penalty because:
1. The death penalty disregards the inherent dignity of the human person.
“Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and discrimination, for human life is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation; it is an indivisible good. We need then to show care for all life and for the life of everyone.” (Evangelium Vitae, 87)
2. The death penalty affects those living in poverty.
Based on statistical evidence, the death penalty tilts more against the poor. There is real and imminent danger of convicting the innocent. Our imperfect criminal justice system can put to death innocent persons and as such, is cruel and inhuman. Instead, we should intensify our work to help uplift the lives of the families who live below the poverty line through various moral and life-giving material interventions.
3. The death penalty does not make society safer.
Heinous crimes such as rape and drug-related cases cannot be prevented because of death penalty. In 2015, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty says that death penalty does not solve the world drug problem.
Also in 2015, Stanford University Professor of Law, John J. Donohue III, JD, PhD said in his article dated August 8, 2015 that, “[T]here is not the slightest credible statistical evidence that capital punishment reduces the rate of homicide.” He goes on further to state that “[t]he best econometric studies reach the same conclusion…there is no detectable effect of capital punishment on crime.”
Bloodless methods of deterrence and punishment are preferred as “they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person. (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 405)
It is our individual responsibility to exert effort in transforming society and the collective responsibility of our leaders to create measures and policies that uphold human dignity and promote and protect the quality of life.
As members of the Missionary Families of Christ, we will work together to uphold the beauty and sanctity of life and to encourage families to oppose the legalization of the death penalty in our country. We are in solidarity with the Catholic Church in defending the sacredness and inviolability of human life.
Let us create laws that can save lives.
The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. . . . I renew the appeal I made . . . for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.
— Pope John Paul II Papal Mass, St. Louis, Missouri, January 27, 1999
Resources:
– https://catholicsmobilizing.org/catholic-social-teaching-death-penalty
– http://www.worldcoalition.org/media/resourcecenter/2015WD-LeafletEN.pdf
– https://deathpenalty.procon.org/questions/does-the-death-penalty-deter-crime/
– CFC-FFL Position Against the Re-imposition of the Death Penalty (March 2017)
– Upholding the Dignity of the Human Person Today, Live Life Blog (July 2020)
