DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Catholic bishops oppose death penalty for escapees

02/08/2001By Susan Hogan/Albach / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING - Roman Catholic bishops meeting in Las Colinas said Wednesday that outrage over the slaying of an Irving police officer is no reason to execute the six prison escapees indicted in the case."People want revenge," Bishop Charles V. Grahmann of Dallas said. "The majority of Texans would probably opt for this. But more violence is not the way to solve violence."Nearly 200 bishops from around the world are meeting at the Omni Mandalay Hotel for their 18th annual workshop on science and ethics.In past years, the bishops have shunned publicity. But many reiterated the church's views against capital punishment this week because of the national publicity surrounding the surviving escapees from the Connally Unit near Kenedy. Texas, which leads the nation in executions, is the perfect venue to make their case, the bishops said."It's an opportune moment to talk about this topic," Bishop Pl�cido Rodriguez of Lubbock said. "We know our views aren't popular. But killing these men to avenge the death of another is wrong. It makes the state act like a criminal by taking lives."A Gallup Poll in September found that 67 percent of Americans favor allowing the death penalty. But many main-line Christian denominations, including Presbyterians, Methodists and Lutherans, have policies opposing capital punishment.Leaders of several denominations acknowledged Wednesday that people in their pews sometimes differ with official church policy.For instance, Gov. Frank Keating of Oklahoma, a Catholic, favored the death penalty for Timothy McVeigh for his role in the Oklahoma City federal building bombing that killed 168 people."It's no surprise that public policy and public sentiment don't always go hand in hand," said Gary Luhr, a spokesman for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) "We say God alone is the Lord of conscience. In other words, we give people latitude to disagree."Roman Catholic doctrine states that an execution is justifiable only when there are no other means to protect society from a criminal. Pope John Paul II has said states have legal authority to put people to death but no moral authority to do so."In this day and age, you don't need capital punishment to keep people off the streets," Bishop Armando Ochoa of El Paso said. "Yes, these men broke out. The prison officials were obviously not vigilant. But that's not the norm."The inmates escaped from prison Dec. 13 and evaded authorities until their capture late last month in Colorado. George Rivas, who did not fight extradition, is in the custody of Texas authorities.The other captured fugitives - Randy Halprin, Patrick Murphy Jr., Donald Newbury, Joseph Garcia and Michael Rodriguez - are awaiting extradition in Colorado jails. A seventh escapee, Larry Harper, committed suicide instead of being taken into custody.Prosecutors say each escapee will face the death penalty for his role in the Dec. 24 slaying of Irving police Officer Aubrey Hawkins outside the Oshman's Super Sports USA in Irving.The officer was shot 11 times while responding to a robbery at the store.Curtis Hawkins of Plano, the father of the slain officer, said Wednesday that he could not comment on whether he favored the death penalty, because of a gag order imposed by a judge in the murder case."I'm not bothered by what the bishops are saying," he said. "What's important to me is my son's legacy. Anybody that has Aubrey in their hearts in any form keeps his legacy alive and serves as a reminder of what kind of man he was."Nationally, the United Methodist General Conference has called for a moratorium on the death penalty because of research showing that since 1976, 75 innocent people were released from death rows because of wrongful convictions. The state of Illinois has issued a moratorium on capital punishment to examine questions about its use.A year ago, Catholic bishops in Texas asked Gov. George W. Bush to suspend executions."It is essential that if the state is going to impose the ultimate punishment that there be no margin of error," the bishops said in a letter to Mr. Bush, who did not honor the request.Last month, Gov. Rick Perry said he thought the death penalty affirmed the "high value" Texans place on innocent lives."It tells those who would prey on our citizens that you will pay the ultimate price for unthinkable acts of violence," he said.The governor also has said the death penalty is a deterrent to killing, a contention that sociologists and criminologists have debated for years.Opponents of the death penalty, including several religious groups, argue that it's imposed disproportionately on poor and minority prisoners and doesn't deter criminals any more than lengthy imprisonment.Catholic bishops also said that it's wrong to kill to avenge a killing."We're not saying to go soft on the escapees," said Bishop Robert Morlino of Helena, Mont. "We're saying there's a bigger picture here and Texans have an option. We're saying violence is not going to heal violence."