NOW is the time......
DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM IN TEXAS

Statement from Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza,
Bishop of Galveston-Houston

Pope John Paul II has characterized capital punishment as both "cruel and unnecessary ", arguing that "the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. " He is not alone in this view. In fact, there is a rapidly growing realization that the Judaeo-Christian tradition affirms the value of all human life because we are all creations of God, and we are never the sum total of our worst failings. Biblical values require that we put an end to a penalty that dehumanizes and perpetuates the cycle of violence. However, until there is the abolition of capital punishment, it is a paramount that no innocent person be condemned to death.

The likelihood of sentencing an innocent person to death is frightening when one considers that for every seven persons executed nationwide, one innocent man or woman has been released from death row. I suspect that in Texas the ratio would not be any better. A criminal justice system that has such a record does great disservice to the concept of justice and erodes the foundations of western civilization.

A seriously flawed justice system in which the condemnation of an innocent person to death is not a rare exception, is in need of dire repair. The rules of common decency and fairness require action from informed citizens and political leaders.

A system that is perceived by many citizens as flawed and unfair will contribute to undermining the rule of law in our state. Until there is a thorough reform of our criminal justice system, a moratorium on state-sponsored executions is an urgent matter which deserves strong support from all Texans who want our state to lead the nation in preserving justice and fairness and not in capital punishment.

I am confident that no Texan wants an innocent person to be condemned to death. A moratorium on capital punishment in order to fully examine our criminal justice system will give us assurance that, as far as humanely possible, the innocent will not be subjected to state- sponsored executions.

Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza Bishop of Galveston-Houston