Abolishing the Death Penalty

The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, TX has taken a Public Stance against the Death Penalty by a vote of the total membership. This decision came after a two-year process in which all members of the Congregation participated in prayer, discussion and workshops on the issue. With the deepest compassion we reach out to families of both victims and perpetrators, supporting them in their loss and pain.       
Our belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ that we must seek justice with mercy and forgiveness, and our solidarity with those who respect all of life compelled us to take this stance. We publicly declare our opposition to the death penalty and we will work to bring about a moratorium and eventual abolition of the death penalty. 

Reverencing All of Life
We are called to reverence life in all its forms from conception to natural death. At this time in our history, we see everywhere a disregard for the sacredness of human life.  The United States Catholic Bishops have stated: "Jesus Christ taught us to seek justice with mercy, to love our enemies and to pray for those that persecute us. We add our voice to the public debate on the issue of the death penalty in hopes that we will not harden our hearts in the face of unspeakable violence but  will eventually decide that the best response to violence and death is the biblical call to choose life."

 - We stand in solidarity with Pope John Paul Il, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men and other Religious traditions who have called for the abolition of the death penalty on religious, moral or humanitarian grounds.

- We believe that life in prison without parole is an effective and viable alternative  to the death penalty.
We pledge to address the roots of violence, the inequities in our justice system and call for reform in our prison systems.

- Through prayer and support, we reach out in compassion to families of both victims and perpetrators, supporting them in their loss and pain.

- We will work with others to call for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty and do all we can to bring about the abolition of the death penalty in our country.