Death penalty

One thing seldom remarked upon by the Roman Catholic anti-choice crowd is that the church is also on record against capital punishment. The crowds of Catholics waving signs in front of prisons depicting adults who have been shot, poisoned, hanged or electrocuted have eluded my attention.

A jury just returned a death sentence for a man who killed 11 Jewish worshipers in cold blood.  The sentence had to be unanimous or he would have been sentenced to life in prison.

When I was in college, I took three religious studies courses to fulfill the requirements for a liberal arts degree. My professor in those courses was Charlie Reynolds. Along the way, he mentioned that he was opposed to the death penalty because he believed you should never kill an unarmed person. Until that point, I supported the death penalty. Since then, I've been opposed. Dr. Reynolds changed my mind.

If Robert Bowers knew my name, I'm sure he would have been happy to kill me. Would I feel differently if a loved one was among those killed? I don't know. I hope not. The shooter deserves our contempt and scorn, but his crime should not be allowed to hijack our moral sensibility.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/02/nation/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooter-sentence/?s_campaign=bostonglobe:push:web

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