On April 3, Bishop John McCarthy of Austin joined...

On April 3, Bishop John McCarthy of Austin joined 55 American Catholic bishops that issued a Good Friday call for the nation's more than 60 million Catholics to oppose the death penalty in the United States. "The death penalty offers the tragic illusion that we can defend life by taking life," they said in a statement. "We see the death penalty perpetuating a cycle of violence and promoting a sense of vengeance in our culture." McCarthy issued a separate call of his own on Good Friday, the day most of the world's Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. "The death penalty itself is imposed unjustly in this country," McCarthy said. "We know there have been innocent people executed. Not only that, but rich people do not get executed. Only the poor get executed."