Capital punishment

Joseph P. Ellis, of California, feels (February 27) that capital punishment is justified, and necessary.

Since he states that he is a Catholic, I should like to refer him to paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which acknowledges the right of civil authority, "in cases of extreme gravity", to apply the death penalty.

However, in the encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae issued later, Pope John Paul II further restricts the applicability. The exact words, taken from paragraph 56 of the same encyclical, are "Today, however, as a result of steady improvements in the organisation of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent".

In both documents it is emphasised that the purpose should be that of defending public order and ensuring people's safety. In no case should there be the idea, known to be the practice in some countries, of providing satisfaction to the relatives of the criminal's victim, also by inviting them to witness the execution. That would amount to a spirit of vindictiveness, which is totally unChristian.