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Corporate Stance Of Great Bend Dominicans
1999 Oppose Death Penalty
2000 Kinship With and Reverence for earth
2006 |
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We, the Dominican Sisters of Great Bend (Kansas), strongly oppose the death penalty under any circumstances. Rationale: Within the Holy Scriptures: ¨ The Divine Commandment states “Thou shalt not kill.” (Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17) ¨ Jesus commanded, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” Mt 5:43-44) ¨ “You should love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lk 10:27) |
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And the Bells still Toll . . .
July
1 Mark Schwab (FL) - Executed 10 Kent Jackson (VA) - Executed 10 Carlton Turner (TX) - Executed 14 Eric Hanson (IL) - Stayed 14 Tamir Hamilton (NV) - Stayed 15 Darrell Robinson (LA) - Stayed 15 Antoinette Frank (LA) - Stayed 15 Dale Bishop (MS) - Executed 22 Lester Bower (TX) - Stayed 22 Kevin Young (OK) - Pending 23 Derrick Sonnier (TX) - Executed 24 Christopher Emmett (VA) - Executed 24 Edward Bell (VA) - Stayed 28 Gregory Decay (AK) - Stayed 30 John Middleton (MO) - Stayed 31 Larry Davis (TX) - Executed 31 Tommy Arthur (AL) - Stayed
August
5 Jose Medellin (TX) - Executed 7 Heliberto Chi (TX) - Executed 12 Leon Dorsey (TX) - Executed 14 Michael Rodriguez (TX) - Pending 20 Denard Manns (TX) - Pending 21 Jeff Wood (TX) - Pending
September
9 Gregory Wright (TX) 9 Frank Williams Jr (AR) 10 Charles Hood (TX) 17 John Middleton (MO) 17 William Murray (TX) 18 Joseph Ries (TX) 23 Richard Henyard (FL) 25 Jessie Cummings (OK) |
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Within our church documents; Catechism of the Catholic Church; no. 2267: “If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.”
In John Paul II’s Homily in the Trans World Dome ~ St Louis, January 1999: “The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate, and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform (cf Evangelium Vitae, 27). I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.”
From W. Walter Menninger, MD, Topeka: “Capital punishment is state sanctioned revenge, an absolute and final direction of hate toward a ‘convicted’ perpetrator. It places the state in a position of approving hateful action as a response to an individual’s unlawful hateful action. We would do better to interrupt rather than perpetuate the acting out of hate.” |