CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN NEW JERSEY A STATEMENT FROM THE STATE'S CATHOLIC BISHOPS

As the people of New Jersey face the reality of imposition of the death penalty for the first time under the capital punishment law enacted in 1982, we reiterate our opposition to the death penalty. We are guided by our belief that every person has an inalienable right to life, because each human being is made in the image and likeness of God, who alone is the absolute Lord of life from its beginning until its end (cf. The Book of Genesis 1:26-28).

We acknowledge that the subject of capital punishment is controversial and emotional and that many persons in good conscience advocate the death penalty. All murders are violent and shocking; some are savage. They all stir emotions of revulsion and anger. We grieve for the victims of murder, for the brutalization and loss of life. We commiserate with the families and friends of victims who must suffer with their loss through the years. We affirm that the state has the duty to punish criminals and to prevent the repetition or occurrence of crime. We believe that greater efforts must be made to bring the criminal to repentance and rehabilitation. We believe that our society is sufficiently developed to protect itself in ways other than the death penalty by using other means to prevent criminals from committing serious crimes and to redress the injustice suffered by the victims of crime and their loved ones.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church acknowledges the right of public authorities to punish criminals with penalties commensurate with the crime. Although it does not exclude the death penalty, the Catechism discourages the use of capital punishment by urging the authorities to first exhaust all "bloodless means" of public protection and defense before resorting to such a violent act. In his encyclical, The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II formally states this teaching, and in applying it to today's penal system takes the teaching a step further. He says that the nature and extent of punishment "ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society." Today, he notes, "as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent." We do not believe these cases exist or will exist in New Jersey.

The Catholic Bishops of New Jersey have consistently and vigorously opposed the use of capital punishment. We recognize the continued need for improvement of our criminal justice system and for a greater societal commitment to crime prevention. As pastors and teachers we urge the State not to impose the death penalty on Mr. John Martini.

August 18, 1999