By Maryann Joyce
Special contributor

“We cannot accept Jesus as the lover of life and be for the death penalty,” Cardinal George told a crowd of more than a thousand people in Evansville, Ind.

Cardinal George spoke to members of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Council of Priests who sponsored the Feb. 26 event, and to hundreds of high school students and others who attended the public talk. Death penalty opponents from Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky were in the audience, as were attorneys and others—many who favor the death penalty—from nearby downtown offices who came to hear the noon-hour speech.

Cardinal George acknowledged that many Catholics do not agree with church teaching on capital punishment. “We have the same struggle [with this] as with other moral issues,” he explained. “I came here to respond to the demand of discipleship—to teach and to preach the Gospel.”

The cardinal also addressed the scheduled execution in May of convicted Oklahoma City Federal Building bomber Timothy McVeigh. Even in response to that great evil, he said, “we need to move to forgiveness so what he has done does not kill us morally.”

Evansville Catholic high school students were there to learn why the church stands against the death penalty. “I’m a little foggy on where the church stands on this,” admitted Ashly Bridges.

In a 30-minute talk, Cardinal George offered intellectual reasons as well as Gospel values to oppose the death penalty. “It is a tragic illusion to think that we can defend life by taking a life,” he said.

He said the death penalty doesn’t deter crime and is no longer needed to protect society. In addition, he said the Catholic Church has deep roots going back to the time of Jesus with Scripture teaching that “every human life has a relationship with God, and the Lord is the lover of life,” he said.

Pope John Paul II, in his “Gospel of Life,” urged caution regarding the death penalty, saying it should only be done for the protection of society. Since it is no longer necessary to execute to protect the public welfare, current church teaching says, “we must be unconditionally pro life—even in the case of someone who has done great evil.”

Cardinal George said erosion of support for the death penalty began on a pragmatic if not a moral level. In Illinois, Gov. Ryan halted the death penalty until cases are examined for discrimination, corruption and incompetence. This came after 13 death row inmates were found innocent.

He also said it was immoral that capital punishment targeted the poor and black people in our society.

An alternative to capital punishment should be life without parole,” the cardinal told the group. Thirty-three states already allow this. Texas, which executes the greatest number of prisoners, does not.

Before the speech, Cardinal George met with families of local murder victims, and the grandfather of a death-row inmate. He listened to their journeys from pain and hatred to forgiveness, and thanked them for making such a strong and difficult stand against the death penalty. He acknowledged the great work of God’s grace in their life to move toward the difficult Gospel call to forgiveness.

The cardinal called for prayer, forgiveness, and continued dialogue to bring justice and healing to the situation. “The faith community should always hold out the possibility of repentance,” he said.

Joyce writes for the Message, newspaper of the Diocese of Evansville.