CANADIAN BISHOPS CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO OPPOSE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT INTERNATIONALLY

the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops asked the Prime Minister of Canada to “strenuously” intervene when Canadians face a death sentence in other countries. Archbishop of Winnipeg V. James Weisgerber wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying the Permanent Council was “most concerned” that the Canadian government was prepared to accept the execution of Canadians in other countries. Referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the archbishop said that civil authorities should limit themselves to non-lethal means to defend against aggressors, since such limits are more in keeping with the common good and more respectful of the dignity of the human person. “Capital punishment is a serious undermining of human dignity and of basic respect for human life,” the archbishop concluded.