Death penalty highlighted in bishops' proposed pro-life plan

The issue of capital punishment gets greater emphasis in a revised "Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities" that the U.S. Catholic bishops will be asked to vote upon at their Nov. 12-15 meeting in Washington, DC.

First drawn up in 1975 and last revised in 1985, the plan spells out ways in which the church can promote a consistent ethic of life and combat threats to the sacredness of human life. For the first time, it highlights capital punishment as a particular concern under its own heading.

"The consequences of widespread loss of respect for the dignity of human life - seen in pervasive violence, tolerance of abortion, and increasingly vocal support for assisted suicide - make it all the more urgent to reject lethal punishment and uphold the inviolability of every human life," it says.

The document was drawn up by the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, chaired by Baltimore Cardinal Willam Keeler.