October 13, 1998 On November 3, 1998, the voters of Florida will be called on to consider many matters affecting the future of this state. On that ballot, there will be thirteen proposed amendments to the state constitution. They are all very important, and can change the future for good or for bad. We should all consider each of them carefully. We are convinced that one of them, Amendment No. 2, is very harmful to our state, and urge our fellow Catholics, and all people of good will, to vote against it. This amendment would elevate the death penalty to constitutional status and is intended to increase, rather than restrain, the use of the death penalty in Florida. Experts have pointed out that it deals with more than the death penalty and creates new legal and technical problems besides. As the Bishops of the State of Florida, we seek to promote the safety and well being of all the citizens of the state and to preserve good order. We affirm the right and the duty of our state to protect its citizens and the right to impose punishment on criminals. This state has in fact provided for a rather severe alternative to the death penalty, life imprisonment without any opportunity for parole. However, there are now more than 360 people on death row awaiting execution, and more are sentenced each year. This proposed amendment would not alleviate this situation, but would make it worse. Pope John Paul II said, in his encyclical, The Gospel of Life, "the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon and 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, however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare if not practically nonexistent." This echoes a number of our own statements, and those of the United States bishops. This is not a sectarian position, or just a religious one. We joined in with 14 other Christian denominations in statements in 1984 and 1994, discussing the religious, social and justice aspects of the death penalty, and concluded: "that the use of capital punishment in Florida must be discontinued. We seriously question that it does any good, and we are deeply convinced that it does a great deal of harm." The consistent efforts of Amnesty International, of the United Nations Commission on Civil Rights, and many other organizations, illustrate the broad nature of our position. The fact that friendly nations have refused to extradite prisoners to Florida because of our death penalty laws is further evidence that we in Florida should not be exalting or increasing it. As we said in 1990, "We all live in an imperfect world. We share the human condition with all of our sisters and brothers. We grieve for the victims of crime and we affirm the necessity of the protection of all citizens and the necessity of punishment for criminals - but that punishment must be consonant with the spirit of Christ's Gospel and with the values of a mature society." We urge all to vote No on Amendment No. 2. John Clement Favalora John J. Snyder
Robert N. Lynch Norbert M. Dorsey, CP John H. Ricard, SSJ John J. Nevins Agustin A. Roman Gilberto Fernandez Thomas G. Wenski |