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March
23, 2005 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which has been in the forefront of the battle against capital punishment, launched a major new effort on Monday in Washington, DC. “The Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty,” was announced at the beginning of Holy Week, when Christians mark the execution of Jesus 2,000 years ago. It comes at a time too when a groundbreaking Zogby Poll shows a dramatic rise in Catholic opposition to the death penalty. Right now Catholics are in a statistical tie, with 48.5 supporting capital punishment and 48.4 opposing. Features of the campaign include new teaching and educational resources, a new website, continuing legal action, ongoing legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels and links to the Church’s pro-life and “faithful citizenship” efforts. It is significant too that the bishops’s national campaign follows by just weeks a strong statement from bishops in the Garden State, including Archbishop John J.Myers, reiterating their unequivocal opposition to the death penalty. The death penalty diminishes us all. Remember the Holy Land on Good Friday Since the days when Jesus walked the earth, the bond between the Holy Land and Good Friday has been special in the hearts of Catholics. With that in mind, the faithful of the Archdiocese of Newark should heed the call from Father Robert E. Emery, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, to respond abundantly on Good Friday to a collection for the Holy Land. “Your help is needed now, as in the days of St. Francis, to protect the sacred places of the Holy Land,” said Father Emery. He pointed out how important it is to “protect the Holy Name of Our Lord in this troubled land.” It is the Holy Land, after all, where Jesus was born, died His sacrifical death and rose victoriously on Easter. The Holy Land of Christ’s time is a far different, and in many ways tragic place in the opening years of the new millennium. It should be remembered by the faithful on Good Friday that it is the Holy Land where the Franciscan Missioners minister in Christ’s name to those who call that special place home. Father Emery made another salient point: i.e. “we protect more than the stones of ancient shrines from the ravages of armies or tourists. In an unbelieving world, we express and protect the very idea of what it means to follow Christ.” Think about that. At this sacred time of year, a donation to the collection for the Holy Land will give hope and life itself in many instances to God’s children. Please be generous.
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