Our Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids stance (2001) “commits us to make public proclamations for life when and where they are needed and to preach the justice of our commitment. We will be called upon to work in coalition with other groups, and to speak out at times of executions, to promote study and prayer in places of our ministry, as well as among ourselves, and to call each other to needed and creative responses.”
On this Oct. 10 World Day Against the Death Penalty, we turn our prayer and reflection to the words of Pope Francis from the encyclical Fratelli Tutti:
269. Let us keep in mind that “not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this”. [258] The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe. If I do not deny that dignity to the worst of criminals, I will not deny it to anyone. I will give everyone the possibility of sharing this planet with me, despite all our differences.