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Catholic Sisters Oppose Death Penalty

(On Nov. 7 voters in the state of Wisconsin will be asked to vote yes or no on an advisory referendum for the Death Penalty. As Catholic Sisters rooted in Christian ethics we believe that to achieve justice we must also respect life and end the cycle of violence.)

We stand with all victims of crime and the families and loved ones of those victims. It is clear that any individual who becomes the victim of a crime has the right to seek justice. Laws and court systems should be crafted to support and ensure this basic civil liberty and to enable the creation of a safe and just community for all.

Drawing from a Christian ethic for life we cannot condone individual or institutional acts that end a human life and create a hierarchy concerning who has the "right" to live and who has the "right" to kill. Utilizing violence to end violence only perpetuates the cycle and erases the opportunity to create a space of healing and transformation for those who have suffered.

We cannot ignore the factual data that tells us that the death penalty is likelier to be used against people of color and the poor in a manner that is discriminatory and certainly unjust. We see then that the death penalty is faulty in both its philosophical grounding and its practical application.

We stand therefore with the Wisconsin Bishops* in calling for our brothers and sisters in the Wisconsin community to vote "No" on the referendum to reinstate the death penalty. We call on this community to affirm the 153-year-old commitment to justice that Wisconsin has maintained by not utilizing the death penalty.

*For a complete text of the Bishops' statement visit the Wisconsin Catholic conference Website www.wisconsin.nasccd.org

Catholic Sisters Oppose Death Penalty

Thirteen congregations of Catholic Sisters across the state are speaking with one voice about the possibility that the death penalty will be reinstated in Wisconsin. "While our congregations are diverse and represent many different viewpoints, this is one issue we agree on," said Sister Joann Sambs, CSA, of Fond du Lac.

"We stand with all victims of crime and the families and loved ones of those victims. It is clear that any individual who is victimized by crime has the right to seek justice," said Sister Sharon Simon, OP, of Racine. "But we believe that using violence to end violence only perpetuates the cycle and erases the opportunity to create a space for healing and transformation for those who have suffered."

Jointly the 13 congregations have created an ad that reads: "As Catholic Sisters rooted in the Christian ethic of life, we believe that the death penalty is unjust. We believe that to achieve justice we must respect life and end the cycle of violence."

The ad will run in early November in Catholic diocesan papers throughout the state. It will also run in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Wisconsin State Journal. "Our goal is to make our position known throughout the state," said Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA, of La Crosse. "We hope that by our speaking out together, the public will take notice and give careful thought to this important issue."

The 13 congregations are located throughout Wisconsin, and as a group represent 3,583 Catholic Sisters. The congregations are: Dominican Sisters, Sinsinawa; Holy Cross Sisters, Merrill; Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, La Crosse; Sisters of St. Agnes, Fond du Lac; Dominican Sisters, Racine; Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross, Green Bay; Servants of Mary, Ladysmith; Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, Stevens Point; and from the Milwaukee area the School Sisters of St. Francis, Sisters of Charity of St. Joan Antida, Sisters of the Divine Savior, Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

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