The latest on the California death penalty and Catholic silence

Court ruling may stall California execution (CNN) -- A federal appeals court has ordered a judge to rethink a ruling that would have led to the execution of a California inmate. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, released late Monday night, says a U.S. District Court must now set a hearing to determine the fate of death row inmate Albert Greenwood Brown. Back to me: Silence, still, from Catholics in the area and the Catholic Church, more generally. Link to original post: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/28/california.execution/index.html?hpt=Sbin

At least Gov. Schwarzenegger "respects life"

From The New York Times this morning: Governor Postpones Execution in California SAN FRANCISCO — With the clock ticking and uncertainties — both legal and pharmaceutical — hovering, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered a temporary last-minute reprieve on Monday in what would be California’s first execution in more than four years. Still no word, either, that I can see or hear, out of anyone in the Catholic Church on the inhumanity of capital punishment. Link to original post: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/us/28execute.html?ref=us&pagewanted=print

Catholic Church doesn't really "Respect Life" after all, it seems

Last week, as I wrote earlier, a 41 year old woman with a tested IQ of 72--one Teresa Lewis--was executed by capital punishment and it seems the Catholic Church was nearly completely silent on her case. This week, another inmate is set to be executed in California--he "gets" to choose his method of death, too, bizarrely enough--and again, it seems the Catholic Church is utterly quiet, in spite of their "Respect Life" campaign. I don't get it. Apparently they only "Respect Some Life" and not all? Is that it? Can someone explain this to me because I don't get it. I assume, maybe, they don't want to upset their followers on this subject because they want to be all "right wing" and punishment or something but it surely seems like a big, gaping hypocrisy to a lot of us out here. I should think there would be a huge contingency of people fighting for now this man to not be put to death but no such brouhaha from the Catholics, to date, it seems. Links: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/us/24execute.html?ref=capital_punishment; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/us/25execute.html?_r=1&ref=capital_punishment; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27execute.html?_r=1&ref=capital_punishment