"Death Penalty Violates the Gospel..."

...So began a headline earlier this week.

Its story summarized the position of the Holy See against this all-too prevalent killing, which has become legalized.

Renewing its attack on the death penalty, the Holy See says that it is difficult to justify its use today and warns that the practice is an affront to human dignity and "the evangelical teaching of forgiveness."

The word "practice" in that paragraph echoes an earlier observation by John Allen, Jr., that certain practices are absolutely wrong. The death penalty is one of them because societies have non-lethal options at their disposal. Plus, the phrase, "affront to human dignity," brings this out of the ethereal realm of principle and theory and makes it more tangible.

People desire that others respect their dignity. The Catholic principle to respect life from conception to natural death is also Catholic practice. The full story at CathNews also indicates that laity are involved in this effort not only prelates.
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