Jill Stanek posted a weekend question asking what folks thought about Archbishop Naumann's public message to Gov Sebelius.
Most folks supported the Bishop and many remarked on how his message was pastoral and firm. Quite a few expressed a wish that other bishops would have the same backbone.
There were a few, like this ... which is unfortunately very typical.
There are several errors in this ... firstly, the Church recognizes that although not ideal there may be instances where the death penalty is justifiable in that a state has the obligation to protect all its citizenry. Pope JP II the Great went on, however, to teach that there are methods that protect a state without having to resort to capital punishment - such as life in prison without the possibility of parole.
So, the commenter above just got it wrong ... the Church recognizes the seriousness of capital punishment; however, she is not full-square against it as many might insist.
Another problem (and this is waaaaaay too frequent!) is making some equivalence of abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and any social issue that's the darling of the moment. After all, this is the hoop that many in the Dem party try to jump through - that there is a seamless garment where all issues, no matter how large or small, are wrapped together and viewed as one. This is wrong. And it is particularly despicable when used as an excuse for policy-making.
The intrinsic evil of abortion is nowhere near the same as other issues mentioned. Abortion is, always has been, and will always be objectively evil - regardless of any attempt to justify it otherwise.




