DISCUSSING LIFE AND DEATH: RELIGIOUS LEADERS MOBILIZING MORE AGAINST CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Religious leaders around the nation are speaking out against capital punishment more loudly than ever, emboldened by a shift in public opinion and cases of innocence on death row.

"We may be finding the courage we didn't have before, given the climate," said the Rev. Joe Vought, a Lutheran minister based in Harrisonburg, Va., who has served as chaplain to seven executed inmates.

The leadership of many Protestant churches, the Roman Catholic Church and Reform and Conservative Judaism have been on record opposing the death penalty for decades, but many in their congregations didn't share their views.

The Rev. J. Friedel, director of Catholic Campus Ministries at Southeast Missouri State University, said that most people still haven't done an about-face in their opinions but that they are thinking and talking about the issue.

Those are hopeful signs, he said.

Vengeance vs. forgiveness

Vengeance never makes anyone feel better than forgiveness does, Friedel said.

"How many of us really want to see somebody else dead? But that's what we're saying we want when we approve of the death penalty," he said.

Davidson Douglas, a professor of law at the College of William & Mary, has studied the history of religious attitudes toward the death penalty. "I think the religious groups, frankly, didn't make this a high priority. There weren't many sermons about it."

And there still aren't. But as Christians approach Lent, a season of prayer and reflection on the suffering of Christ, talk about the death penalty could be appropriate.

"We're in a penitent season," said Sister Cynthia Hruby of Catholic ministries.

Friedel added, "Lent is a time when we reflect on the suffering and death and it's always good for Christians to remember that Jesus was a victim of capital punishment."

"For a long time the church wasn't saying anything, and people assumed (the death penalty) was right and, more importantly, that it was applied correctly," said Robert Jones, a spokesman for Moratorium 2000, a Louisiana-based nonprofit group lobbying to stop capital punishment.

But improved DNA testing has proven some capital convictions were mistakes, shifting public opinion and increasing churches' activism.

A Harris poll in July found 64 percent of people supported the death penalty, down from 75 percent in 1997. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in July found that only 42 percent of the public believed the death penalty is applied fairly; another 42 percent said it isn't. The rest were undecided or said it depends.

Journey of Hope'

Local campus groups are hoping to discuss some of those convictions during a "Missouri Journey of Hope" seminar in March.

The theme is "From violence to healing" and will let victims and their relatives talk about violent crimes, their feelings about the death penalty and the struggle with grief.

George White of Kansas will speak March 30-31 in Cape Girardeau. White's wife, Char, was killed in 1985. White was convicted of murder, sentenced in the crime but later released.

"It's time to hear those voices on the other side," said Sister Cynthia Hruby of Catholic Campus Ministries.

The grief after a loved one's death isn't always helped by an execution, she said.

The effect an execution has on the people involved is also the effect it's having on society, Friedel said. "It's slowly killing us by eroding our respect for life."

Churches talk about reconciliation but often don't connect those prayers and words with the practical challenges of life, Friedel said.

WANT TO GO?

Missouri Journey of Hope: From violence to healing March 25 to April 3

* George White of Kansas will speak to students at Southeast Missouri State University and community groups during a weekend stop in Cape Girardeau March 30-31.

* His visit is sponsored by Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and other local organizations opposed to the death penalty.

* The Missouri Journey of Hope schedule includes stops in Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis, Rolla and Jefferson City.

* For local information, contact Sister Cynthia Hruby at 335-3899.