LETTERS: ALL LIFE IS SACRED

To the editor:

What a bit of fresh air to see the American Bar Association take a stance against the death penalty!

As a Roman Catholic priest and pastor, I have felt that Pope John Paul II and the American bishops who have been speaking against capital punishment over the last 15 years were lone voices in the wilderness. We might expect that the voice of religion would caution against taking innocent life, but in this age of cynicism we don't expect the same from the judicial system (but we should).

As a Christian, one has to question capital punishment, if for no other reason than that the Fifth Commandment says quite plainly: Though shall not kill. Speaking not long ago, Pope John Paul II said that capital punishment could perhaps be justified in extremely rare cases.

Is it not an irony that the United States is one of only a handful of countries in the world that have capital punishment? The main motive for the death penalty comes from the highly emotional need for revenge. In case we are in doubt, revenge is found on the list of sins the Christian is supposed to avoid. Over the last few years it has been a sign of the victory of the Christian ideal to see aggrieved survivors forgiving criminals who perpetrated tragic evils upon innocent people, just as it was an awesome example the Pope gave when he went to the prison in Rome to visit and forgive that man who tried to assassinate him.

Even if it were proved that capital punishment were a determent to crime (which has yet to be proven), we have to ask the question, "Does the end justify the means?" If our answer is yes, we place ourselves in camp of the terrorists and criminals who consistently seem to answer, "Yes, anything goes as long as I achieve my goal."

A violent answer to the violence of our culture is a step backward. It is a sign of desperation, of hopelessness. It seems to say that two wrongs make a right.

Respect for life, whether in the womb or in old age, is a highly prized Christian value. Lack of respect at the beginning paves the way to abortion just as does the same lack in old age leads to euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide. Life is sacred and must be respected, even if it is the life of a criminal.

THE REV. PATRICK WISSMAN, Pastor

St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Scott City