ILLINOIS BISHOPS APPLAUD RYAN`S COMMUTATION OF DEATH SENTENCES

In praising Illinois Republican Governor George Ryan`s Jan. 11 commutation of the death sentences of all inmates on the state`s death row, the Illinois Catholic Conference called the action "consistent with Catholic principles in opposition to the death penalty," and called upon incoming Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, to continue the moratorium on executions imposed by Ryan in 2000.

 The conference represents Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, and the bishops of the state's five other dioceses, including the Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

 "The death penalty cannot suppress the inalienable dignity of those who have committed great evil," the conference said. "Although evil and criminal activities deserve punishment, the door to repentance, forgiveness, and rehabilitation must always remain open. The opportunity for redemption must always remain available.

 "The death of the murderer cannot bring back the one who has been killed, nor does revenge help to heal the hole in the heart of the grieving loved ones," the statement continued. "We pray that Governor Ryan`s granting of clemency will lead to healing."

 A statement issued by Catholics Against Capital Punishment called Ryan`s act "courageous," and "in accordance with the best traditions of American jurisprudence." CACP cited U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist`s words in the Supreme Court`s 1993 Herrera decision: "Clemency is deeply rooted in our Anglo-American tradition of law and is the historic remedy for preventing miscarriages of justice where judicial process has been exhausted."

 "CACP prays that other U.S. governors will consider using their clemency powers to spotlight the most obvious flaws in this discredited system of punishment, and, in doing so, encourage legislators to abolish it completely," the statement said.

 A statement by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, chairman of the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops` Domestic Policy Committee and Archbishop of Washington, said:

 "We welcome and commend Governor George Ryan`s decision to grant clemency to all death row inmates in Illinois. His actions highlight once again the fundamental flaws in the use of the death penalty. We pray that this courageous act will lead to a renewed national dialogue on how the use of the death penalty diminishes all of us. We also pray for all of the families who have endured so much loss and pain. Further, we pray that this action moves our nation closer to the day where we no longer seek to defend life by taking life, to overcome violence by more violence."

 Among those who had urged Ryan to issue a blanket commutation was Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Pope John Paul II`s Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. In a letter last year, Montalvo thanked Ryan for having imposed a moratorium on executions, and added:

 "I am sure you are aware of the Holy Father`s commitment to upholding the sacredness and dignity of each human life, from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death. For this reason, he has made many appeals to heads of governments, particularly in the United States, for the eventual aboliiton of the death penalty. The Holy Father would therefore like to ask you to take another step in the defense of life by commuting all death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole within the State of Illinois."http://www.cacp.org/pages/585246/index.htm