James Haupt
Not even two weeks after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, the annual World Day Against the Death Penalty will be observed this Saturday. This international day has been held on October 10 since 2003 as it promotes efforts to abolish capital punishment each year.
Christa Pike survived two doses of lethal injection during a botched execution on September 30, but was left in critical condition. She regained consciousness on Tuesday, October 6, but her future is still in question.
In light of this incident, the World Day Against the Death Penalty is particularly relevant, especially in the Catholic community. The three Catholic bishops of Tennessee issued a statement emphasizing the Catholic Church’s opposition to the death penalty and calling for her sentence to be reduced to life imprisonment.
Catholic organizations throughout the United States have joined the Tennessee Catholic community in speaking out against capital punishment and Christa Pike’s planned execution. The Catholic Mobilizing Network, based in Washington D.C., has been one of the biggest advocates against the death penalty.
KRISANNE VAILLANCOURT MURPHY
Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network
The focus on the death penalty is something that we’ve been following since our inception. We focus on the United States. About half of the states within the union have the death penalty. Most notably as of late, the execution of Christa Pike in the state of Tennessee. It’s quite unprecedented so it has captured the attention, I think, not just in the United States, but in the globe.
In an October 8 press release, the Catholic Mobilizing Network highlighted the growing significance of World Day Against the Death Penalty, renewing calls to abolish capital punishment and citing Christa Pike’s botched execution as an example of its consequences.
Press Release from Catholic Mobilizing Network
These nine days of prayer leading up to the World Day Against the Death Penalty lift up not only people on death row, but victims of violence and their families, people who work in prisons and are tasked with killing in the name of the state, and communities that are disproportionately affected by capital punishment.
For Catholic leaders, the World Day Against the Death Penalty is an opportunity to reaffirm the Church’s opposition to capital punishment and urge lawmakers across the globe to pursue alternative options.
