Scheduled execution put on hold in Pennsylvania

Last updated on: October 1, 2012 at 9:52 pm by CNA Daily News

Scheduled execution put on hold in Pennsylvania 2012-10-01T21:52:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Philadelphia, Pa., Oct 1, 2012 / 03:52 pm (CNA).- A Philadelphia judge stayed the execution of Terrance Williams last Friday, and his case will now go to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The Pennsylvania bishops wrote to the Board of Pardons regarding Williams in September, saying that “the modern penal system provides alternatives to taking the lives of guilty persons, alternatives that break the cycle of violence in our society.”

On Sept. 28, Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina issued the stay after hearing testimony that the trial prosecutor misled the jury in Williams' case, withholding evidence that could have resulted in a sentence of life imprisonment, rather than the death penalty.

Williams was to have been executed Oct. 3. Now that the Philadelphia district attorney has appealed Judge Sarmina's decision, the case will go to the state's supreme court. If they reaffirm the execution, the governor will have to set a new execution date.

Pennsylvania has not executed anyone since 1999, and only three people since the death penalty was reinstated there in 1978. All three persons executed eventually gave up the appeals process before their execution.

Williams was convicted for the 1984 murder of Amos Norwood, which Williams committed when he was 18.

Two other men are on Pennsylvania's death row, and the next scheduled to be executed is Hubert Michael, on Nov. 8.

The bishops of Pennsylvania, writing to the board of pardons, said that they did not want Williams to go unpunished for the crimes for which he was convicted. At the same time, however, “punishment should reflect our belief in the inherent human dignity of each person,” the bishops stated.

The Catholic Church teaches that the death penalty may be used in the punishment of criminals, but only as a last resort. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that it can be used “if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.”

“If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person,” the catechism says.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia commented on this in his Sept. 10 column, noting that even convicted murderers “retain their God-given dignity as human beings” and that “We don't need to kill people to protect society or punish the guilty.”

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference wrote in 2001 that “modern societies can imprison and isolate offenders for long periods of time to promote the safety of their citizens,” thus rendering capital punishment unjustifiable in the state of Pennsylvania.

“When we take a murderer's life we only add to the violence in an already violent culture, and we demean our own dignity in the process,” Archbishop Chaput concluded in his Sept. 10 column.

Previous Post

October 1, 2012

Supreme Court justices urged to let God inspire their work

Next Post

October 2, 2012 Mo. business appealing ruling against its HHS mandate lawsuit

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Jesus do right after being baptized?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Returned to Galilee Started preaching Visited the temple Went into the wilderness