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 Bush's New Head of Faith-Based Initiatives Opposes the Death Penalty

The director of the new White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, John J. DiIulio, Jr.,  says he once favored the death penalty as "a substantive tool of crime control."  DiIulio, who will aid President Bush's efforts to help religious groups provide social services, now says he opposes capital punishment.  Citing the Catholic catechism, DiIulio believes  "[p]revention is the only reasonable way to approach these problems."

( 2/9/01)