Urbain Grandier

In was in the early 1980s that I first learned of Urbain Grandier, a 17th century French Catholic priest who was burned at the stake, after being found guilty of witchcraft in a case involving "demonic possession" of nuns in the town of Loudun, France. One of the cable movie channels (Showtime, Cinemax, or HBO) was running the 1971 Ken Russell film, The Devils. The film was based on the 1952 non-fiction novel by Aldous Huxley, The Devils of Loudun.

Being curious, I went on a search for Huxley's book. A copy of the book was supposed to be available at my local public library, but I was told that the book was frequently stolen when placed on the shelf. There was a copy available behind the main desk, but it could not be checked out. The book could only be read in the library.

Fortunately for me, there was a very nice used book store in town. The owner could find any book - for a price, of course. I purchased a copy from her. I cannot say what became of the book.

I bring this up now because the story of Grandier is told in volume four of Alexandre Dumas' Celebrated Crimes. Sadly, the series could have been entitled Celebrated Crimes by Christians. A good many of the crimes described by Dumas illustrate the horrors committed by some using God's name.

According to a Wikipedia article, the French historian Jules Michelet discussed Grandier in a chapter of La Sorcière. An English translation of La Sorcière is available at Project Gutenberg. That book is now on my list of books to read in 2018.

The Polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki wrote an opera, Die Teufel von Loudun based on the story. I was unable to find a copy of the opera on Spotify - although many of Penderecki's works are - but a TV version of the opera can be found on Youtube.

Beatrice Cenci

At nearly the half-way point of Edith Wharton's novel, The House of Mirth, Wharton's makes mention of a "bronze box with a miniature of Beatrice Cenci in the lid".

"After luncheon, when Grace Stepney's prying eyes had been removed, Lily asked for a word with her aunt. The two ladies went upstairs to the sitting-room, where Mrs. Peniston seated herself in her black satin arm-chair tufted with yellow buttons, beside a bead-work table bearing a bronze box with a miniature of Beatrice Cenci in the lid. Lily felt for these objects the same distaste which the prisoner may entertain for the fittings of the court-room. It was here that her aunt received her rare confidences, and the pink-eyed smirk of the turbaned Beatrice was associated in her mind with the gradual fading of the smile from Mrs. Peniston's lips. That lady's dread of a scene gave her an inexorableness which the greatest strength of character could not have produced, since it was independent of all considerations of right or wrong; and knowing this, Lily seldom ventured to assail it. She had never felt less like making the attempt than on the present occasion; but she had sought in vain for any other means of escape from an intolerable situation."

Having never heard of Beatrice Cenci, I immediately searched the name in order to get a sense of why Wharton might make use of this bronze box in her description of Lily's conversation with her aunt.

Wikipedia describes Cenci this way.

"Beatrice Cenci (6 February 1577 – 11 September 1599) was a young Roman noblewoman who murdered her father, Count Francesco Cenci. The subsequent, lurid murder trial in Rome gave rise to an enduring legend about her. She was condemned and beheaded for the crime in 1599."

And according to historical accounts, Francesco Cenci abused his first wife Ersilia Santa Croce and his sons and raped Beatrice multiple times. This abuse eventually led to Beatrice, her siblings, and their stepmother bludgeoning Francesco to death with a hammer and throwing his body off a balcony to make it look like an accident.

The four members of the Cenci family were arrested, tried and convicted of the murder and sentenced to death.

Down through the centuries, Beatrice Cenci's tragic story has had an influence on literature and the arts. Many of the works are either not in English, or are unavailable at Project Gutenberg. However, I was able to download Les Cenci, a short story by Stendhal and The Cenci, an essay by Alexandre Dumas in Volume 1 of Celebrated Crimes.

I haven't yet decided if I'll read those before or after I read Wharton's novel, The Age of Innocence.

Sometimes Mark Shea is Right

Sometimes, I actually agree with something Mark Shea writes. Perhaps this goes along the lines of how a broken clock is right twice a day, but I will give credit where credit is due.

I am in agreement with Shea on the abolition of the death penalty, and he and I agree on man's contribution to climate change. Where we might part ways on climate change, is in how I see his views on the various climate accords and solutions put forward by leftists as mostly virtue signaling. In his quintessential Trump hatred he has seen Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate accord as Trump actually wanting to destroy the planet.

Although I consider a good deal of Shea's attacks on the President as a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, he does have a recent post damning Trump, where I agree that, in this case, Trump's actions can be vile and disgusting.

Entitled Trump steals from children with cancer, Shea's post links to an article on The Hill, which itself links to an article at Forbes.com, documenting how Donald Trump took control of the Eric Trump Foundation, diverting money donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis into revenue for the Trump Organization.

When Trump and HRC were duking it out in the POTUS campaign, I stated in more than one post that having to chose between those two was like choosing between mustard or mayo on your fecal sandwich. After the election, I was willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. He's not my favorite POTUS by any means, but let's see what he does before we impeach him, OK?

Shea ends his post - "Impeach this vile human being now."

While I agree that Trump's actions toward St. Jude Hospital are vile and disgusting, I don't know if (legally) his actions are an impeachable offense.

After P.O.T.U.S.H.C. is Impeached.

Now that both Trump and Clinton have told us their pick for V.P., I have to say that while neither the junior Democratic senator from Virginia, Tim Kaine nor Indiana governor Mike Pence would be my first choice as POTUS, from the little I know of the two, either would be better than the choices we now have.

I've said on on more than one occasion, that Clinton will beat Trump in November only because more Americans hate and despise Trump than hate and despise Clinton. I've modified an earlier belief that, after the election, and before her term is complete, Hillary Clinton will be impeached. I'm no longer confident in that prediction, but if she is removed from office, I suppose Tim Kaine might be an improvement over Hillary.

I do have reservations about Kaine, however. He has been described as a devout Catholic, but one that has ".........taken the position, which is quite common among Catholics," to not let his Catholic beliefs stand in the way of being a loyal Democrat.

Kaine claims to be anti-abortion, but, never the less supports Roe v. Wade and is basically, pro-choice.

Kaine said in 2012, "I have a moral position against the death penalty, but I took an oath of office to uphold it. Following an oath of office is also a moral obligation". As Virginia's governor, he oversaw 11 state executions.

Although he once felt otherwise, he now supports gay adoption and same sex marriage.

He favors allowing women to become Catholic priests.

Some Progressive Democrats maintain that "Kaine is not as liberal as some Democrats would prefer on a range of issues, most prominently trade and abortion rights". He may not be as liberal on abortion as some Democrats, but Planned Parenthood gives him a 100% rating on their scorecard. If a PP score of 100% isn't high enough for these pro-abortion savages, than Heaven help us.

A few paragraphs back, I wrote that Tim Kaine might be an improvement over Hillary. Now, that I've reread this blog post, I'm not at all sure of that.

Two Indonesian Women Beheaded in Saudi Arabia Early April.

As international attention has been focused on Indonesia's execution of convicted drug smugglers, Saudi Arabia's execution of two Indonesian women earlier this month has gone under the radar.

From a story dated April 15, 2015;

"Efforts by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to secure reprieves for hundreds of Indonesians on death row in overseas prisons met a sudden setback on Tuesday with the unexpected execution of a mentally ill Indonesian worker in Saudi Arabia."

While turning a deaf ear to pleas for clemency from foreign governments regarding executions of foreign nationals by Indonesia, President Widoto is not too embarrassed to request clemency from Saudi Arabia regarding Indonesians on death row there. The Indonesian government has gone as far as offering diyat [blood money] - Rp 2 billion [US$154,410] in one incident, in attempts to save Indonesians from the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry has said that 36 nationals are currently undergoing legal proceedings in Saudi courts, and are threatened with the death penalty.

It added that they have been charged with criminal cases, such as witchcraft, adultery and murder.

Recruiter's Surrender Instrumental in Mary Jane's Reprieve.

Maria Kristina P. Sergio, aka Mary Christine Gulles Pasadilla, the alleged recruiter of Mary Jane Veloso, has surrendered to authorities in Nueva Ecija. According to philstar.com,"Sergio said she surrendered as she fears for her life after receiving death threats. She maintained, however, that she was not responsible for deceiving Veloso but she is willing to undergo investigation".

The National Bureau of Investigation-Anti Human Trafficking Division (NBI-AHRAD) alleges that Veloso is a victim of deception and human trafficking.

abs-cbnnews.com is reporting that Sergio's being in custody was instrumental in the Indonesian government's grant of reprieve that spared Veloso from being executed at midnight on Wednesday.

Sergio, along with her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao and an African man identified as "Ike" have been charged with human trafficking, illegal recruitment and estafa.

Rappler.com has done an excellent job covering all the aspects of Mary Jane Veloso's case.

Pacquiao Pleads for Mary Jane Veloso's Life.

From Sydney Morning Herald:

World boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao took time out from preparing for Sunday's megafight fight with Floyd Mayweather to join a massive outpouring of support in the Philippines for a Filipina mother of two whose execution appears imminent alongside Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.

"I am begging and knocking on your kind heart that your excellency will grant executive clemency to her," Pacquiao, a national hero in the Philippines, said in a televised appeal to Mr Widodo.

Tsarnaev’s Middle Finger.

From firstlook.org

What Explains the Power of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s Middle Finger?

Thought provoking article.

Please Tell Your Father Not To Execute Her.

Mary Jane Veloso's kids to Indonesian president's son: Help save mom.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and the Death Penalty

At the National Catholic Register , Christine Williams writes that Catholics Debate Fate of Boston Marathon Bomber. After asking if Dzhokhar Tsarnaev crime warrants the death, Williams presents arguments for and against Tsarnaev's execution, without actually taking a stand either way herself.

That's not the case with Jonah Goldberg, who believes that the Boston bomber conviction puts death penalty opponents in an awkward spot.

Goldberg is an unapologetic supporter of the death penalty; that column is pretty much a repeat of a piece from July, 2012 -When a murderer is unsympathetic, death-penalty foes hold their tongues.

I don't expect to change Goldberg's beliefs on the subject; he's unlikely to be convinced by any argument I could put forth.

He asks:

How about now?
Are you in favor of the death penalty now?
I ask because the preferred argument from opponents of the death penalty is doubt: We can never be sure; look at all of the people released from death row; we can't afford to risk ending a single innocent life.

No, I am not in favor of the death penalty now. "Doubt" is not my preferred argument. I have absolutely no doubt that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is guilty as charged. He's guilty as Hell, but bringing up Michael Slager - "the North Charleston, S.C., cop who shot Walter Scott in the back as he was fleeing and then allegedly lied about why he did it"- doesn't change my mind either.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2267)

Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.

Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm—without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself—the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”

As Christians, we are called to show mercy and forgiveness. I realize that this will fall on deaf ears when speaking to non-Christians.

From a statement released by the four Catholic Bishops in Massachusetts:

"As the Bishops of the United States said in their 2005 statement A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death,'no matter how heinous the crime, if society can protect itself without ending a human life, it should do so.' We believe these words remain true today in the face of this most terrible crime".

So do I.

Further reading:Pope Francis: No matter what the crime, 'the death penalty is inadmissible'.
Pope Francis Would Spare Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s Life.

Craig Hicks Judged to be "Death Penalty Qualified".

Craig Stephen Hicks, who is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the February 10, 2015 killings of 23-year-old Deah Shaddy Barakat; his wife, 21-year-old Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha; and her sister, 19-year-old Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha is "death penalty qualified" according to Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson Jr..

Police have said Hicks appeared to have been motivated by a long-running dispute over parking spaces at the condominium where he lived in the same building as Barakat and his wife.The victims' families are adamant, however, that they were murdered because they were Muslims and have pushed for hate-crime charges.

I'm not at all certain how hate crime charges would affect Hicks' sentence should he be convicted. After all, he can only be executed once.

It's been reported that prosecutors have said that "Hicks confessed; that he was arrested with the murder weapon, a handgun that ballistics experts matched to shell casings recovered at the apartment; that there was gunshot residue on his hands; and that blood from one of the victims was on his pants". The evidence seems to indicate that Hicks is guilty and will, in all likelihood, be convicted.

Regarding the death penalty, I have to be consistent in saying that Hicks should not be executed. I am not arguing that Hicks is innocent. I believe him to be guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. As I've written in the past, my opposition to the death-penalty comes from my belief in the teachings of the Catholic Church, statements made by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Being an atheist - or anti-theist - Hicks would probably disagree with my reasoning behind asking that he not be executed. Perhaps, life in prison may lead him to turn to God.

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso's Appeal Rejected.

According to reports, [inquirer.net] Indonesia is preparing to move a Filipino death row inmate for execution after she lost her appeal in the Indonesian Supreme Court earlier this week.

While Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay renewed his appeal on Friday to Indonesian President Joko Widodo for the commutation of the death sentence of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, Indonesia has so far turned a deaf ear to all appeals from the international community.

Last week, rappler.com published an article on the impact this tragedy has had on Veloso's parents.

I continue to ask for prayers for Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso and her family in Philippines.

Catholic Publications Call For Abolition of U.S. Death Penalty.

Some folks say that there are no coincidences. I don't know; I can't say for certain,one way or another. I do know, however, that when I wrote my two recent posts on the death penalty - [Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso and Australia and Indonesia at Odds over Death Penalty] - I was unaware that four leading Catholic publications would be issuing a joint editorial calling for an end to the death penalty in the U.S..

The four publications are;

National Catholic Register
National Catholic Reporter
America Magazine
Our Sunday Visitor.

Clicking on any of the links above will take you to the joint editorial.

While I applaud the publications' efforts, I am a little disappointed that in only one of the four publications - National Catholic Register - did any other writer in the respective publication add anything.

The National Catholic Register had death penalty articles by Pat Archbold of Creative Minority Report and Mark Shea. Mr. Shea went above and beyond the call of duty by posting a second piece on this on his Patheos blog.

While generally against the death penalty, Archbold is leery of the USCCB  "specifically calling on a Court to override the proper legislative authority of the states". I can certainly sympathize with his concerns.

I do not always agree with Mark Shea, but I want to highly recommend his Remarks on Pro-Death Penalty Arguments . He does an excellent job hitting ever pro-death penalty argument out there. If there are any arguments he's missed, I'd love to hear them.

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso

Quite a lot of cyber ink has been used regarding the case of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australian nationals scheduled to be executed by firing squad in Indonesia for drug offenses. I've even posted their story myself - [Australia and Indonesia at Odds over Death Penalty.].

Being against the death penalty, I pray that Indonesian President Joko Widodo will change his mind and grant clemency, but it appears very unlikely that Chan and Sukumaran will escape execution. The pair have already been transferred to the 'Iron Prison' awaiting execution.

While, as I say, much has been written on the two Australians, very little has been written about the other death row inmates convicted of drug offenses in Indonesia. One inmate in particular is a 30 year old Filipina named Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso. According to rappler.com,

Veloso, who comes from a poor family in Bulacan, north of Manila, only finished high school. She was in Malaysia supposedly to work as a domestic helper, but her would-be employer failed to meet her, the court heard on Tuesday. With two children back home, she agreed to an offer to bring two suitcases to Indonesia.

She was only supposed to bring the two suitcases with her on board the April 25, 2010, AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Yogyakarta, and someone was supposed to pick her up at the airport and get the package from her.

But that last part never happened, because she was arrested before exiting the airport. Concealed inside the suitcases were packs of heroin wrapped in aluminum foil estimated to have a street value of IDR6.5 billion at the time.

Like all the other inmates scheduled to be executed for drug offenses, President Joko Widodo has rejected her clemency request.

However, the country’s Supreme Court has agreed to review her case, giving Philippine officials and the woman’s family momentary relief.

Veloso does not speak English or Indonesian and it has been maintained that her court appointed Tagalog translator was not a qualified translator, but a student.

Being against the death penalty, I wouldn't want to see Veloso executed, even if she were guilty of the offense, but in this case, I believe her to be innocent of the charges. Knowing what I know about the situation regarding many Filipinas, I find her story absolutely credible.

I can only ask for prayers for her and her family.

Australia and Indonesia at Odds over Death Penalty.

In April, 2005, nine Australian citizens were arrested at Denpasar airport in Bali on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than eight kilos of heroin out of Indonesia, following a tip from Australian police.
All nine were subsequently convicted; seven are currently serving sentences of between 20 years and life, while two - Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who the court has determined had recruited the others - were sentenced to death by firing squad.

I want to say from the start that my feelings on capital punishment follow the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Pope John Paul II :

[Punishment] ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo has a policy of denying clemency for all drug offenders, and has chosen to ignore Australia's (and the UN's) pleas for mercy.

As much as I agree that the death penalty is too harsh a penalty, I can't say I agree with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's approach.

In 2004, Australia sent over $1 billion (Australian) in aid to Indonesia after the Boxing Day tsunami. Abbott is of the opinion that Indonesia needs to "pay back" Australia's generosity by not carrying out the executions.

"I would say to the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government: We in Australia are always there to help you, and we hope that you might reciprocate," Abbott said.

So, humanitarian aid must be paid back? There are strings attached? We aren't supposed to help our fellow man without getting something in return?

According to the bbc,

Mr Abbott suggested there would be consequences if the appeals were ignored.

"We will be making our displeasure known. We will be letting Indonesia know in absolutely unambiguous terms that we feel grievously let down."

I understand the frustrations of the Australians who want the Indonesian government to show mercy toward Sukumaran and Chan. Bali has been a popular vacation spot for Australians, but now, many in Australia are calling for a boycott.

In response, many in Indonesia believe "it's time for Australia to educate their people about how to behave as tourists" by not adding to the drug problem.

While the executions have been postponed, it's only a matter of time. Sukumaran and Chan are in need of our prayers.

Hasan's Punishment.

From Catholic News Service via catholicphilly.com, Archbishop Timothy M. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services said he opposes capital punishment for Army Maj. Nidal Hasan. Hasan was sentenced to death Aug. 28 following his conviction of the shootings in the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas.

I happen to agree with  Archbishop Broglio though I know I'm not going to make any friends by writing a post likely to offend so many of my fellow Conservatives.

Be that as it may, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2266 The State's effort to contain the spread of behaviors injurious to human rights and the fundamental rules of civil coexistence corresponds to the requirement of watching over the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime. the primary scope of the penalty is to redress the disorder caused by the offense. When his punishment is voluntarily accepted by the offender, it takes on the value of expiation. Moreover, punishment, in addition to preserving public order and the safety of persons, has a medicinal scope: as far as possible it should contribute to the correction of the offender.

 2267 The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor.
"If, instead, bloodless means are sufficient to defend against the aggressor and to protect the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
"Today, in fact, given the means at the State's disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender 'today ... are very rare, if not practically non-existent.'

One can hardly argue that, in Hasan's case, "absolute necessity for suppression of the offender" would demand the death penalty. Hasan is paralyzed from waist down.

The decision as to whether or not capital punishment is appropriate shouldn't come from a desire to seek revenge. Executing Hasan will not assuage the grief felt by the family and friends of his victims.

I'm not trying to excuse or justify Hasan's actions. He should be punished for his having massacred more than a dozen human beings.  According to Catholic teaching, in this particular situation, Jesus asks that we not execute this killer. Who am I to go against that?

Madonna's New Look.

Yawn.

In an attempt to be controversial, Madonna has posted a photo from her photoshoot with Harper’s Bazaar magazine on Instagram and Facebook. In the photo, she is wearing what some have called a "chainmail niqab".

The Independent thinks she may have gone too far, although the article states that her message is unclear.

On Facebook, Things Liberals Hate believe Muslims will view Madonna's act as punishable by death.

I doubt it. Unlike her blatant anti-Catholic outfits, I don't think this photo criticizes Islam. It doesn't go far enough, in my opinion.

No, I think some in the West will be shocked by this, but she probably won't receive flack from the Muslim world.

We'll see.

The Death-Penalty and the Aurora Shooting.

Jonah Goldberg - a fellow Conservative with whom I usually agree - has issued me a challenge. Well, OK, not me personally, but death-penalty opponents in general.

In a recent column, Goldberg writes,

"Death-penalty opponents are fairly mercenary about when to express their outrage. When questions of guilt can be muddied in the media; when the facts are old and hard to look up; when the witnesses are dead; when statistics can be deployed to buttress the charge of institutional racism: These are just a few of the times when opponents loudly insist the death penalty must go.

But when the murderer is white or racist or his crimes so incomprehensibly ugly, the anti-death-penalty crowd stays silent. It’s the smart play. If your long-term goal is to abolish the death penalty, you want to pick your cases carefully."

He continues,

"But the simple fact is, if the death penalty is always wrong, it’s wrong in the politically inconvenient cases too."

His point being, that we death-penalty opponents will remain silent in the case of the Aurora, Colorado movie theater mass murder. We will remain silent because James Holmes is "a man many Americans are aware of, informed about, and interested in". Goldberg wants to hear "why the inequities of the criminal-justice system require that his life be spared".

My opposition to the death-penalty comes from my belief in the teachings of the Catholic Church, statements made by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

2266 The State's effort to contain the spread of behaviors injurious to human rights and the fundamental rules of civil coexistence corresponds to the requirement of watching over the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime. the primary scope of the penalty is to redress the disorder caused by the offense. When his punishment is voluntarily accepted by the offender, it takes on the value of expiation. Moreover, punishment, in addition to preserving public order and the safety of persons, has a medicinal scope: as far as possible it should contribute to the correction of the offender.

2267 The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor.
"If, instead, bloodless means are sufficient to defend against the aggressor and to protect the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
"Today, in fact, given the means at the State's disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender 'today ... are very rare, if not practically non-existent.'[John Paul II, Evangelium vitae 56.]

Jonah Goldberg is not a Catholic and this argument will probably not convince him; I've heard the arguments of the pro death-penalty folks and I find their arguments unconvincing as well. It's doubtful that I could explain to Goldberg why Holmes deserves to live, just as it is equally doubtful that Goldberg can explain to my satisfaction why Holmes should be executed.

I am not suggesting that Holmes go unpunished. Life without parole isn't a "slap on the wrist" by any means. Surely, we can seek justice without vengeance.

One of Holmes victims, Pierce O'Farrill has stated publicly that he forgives the shooter.

"Of course, I forgive him with all my heart". "When I saw him in his hearing, I felt nothing but sorrow for him--he's just a lost soul right now."

Contrast that with the words of Jordan Ghawi, brother of one the 12 people killed in the massacre, who believed he might try to avenge his sister's murder. Explaining why he did not attend Holmes' first court appearance, Ghawi said,

"I was afraid that I may try to get my hands on that man."

Is it likely that Ghawi will find peace after Holmes execution? I don't think so.

On the NCR and bin Laden.

I'm not quite certain how they manage to do it on such a consistent basis, but as usual, the National Catholic Reporter has posted an article that absolutely goes against the way I view things.

With the article -Bin Laden Is Killed!- writer Michael Sean Winters wants us to know that "the fact of this evil man’s demise is cause to raise a glass no matter the circumstances, but truly evil men should not be allowed to die in their beds" and should be cause for celebration.

Winter writes, "I do not normally take delight in the death of a fellow human being. Nor do I support the death penalty. But, if there was one man on the planet whom it was important to kill, not to just let die, it was Osama bin Laden."

Sorry, Mr. Winter, that clearly is not Catholic teaching concerning the death penalty. You cannot celebrate the death of Bin Laden on the one hand then claim you are against the death penalty and do not delight in the death of a fellow human being on the other.

The reasoning behind the Church's teaching on capital punishment apply equally to those with whom we sympathize as well as with those whose crime we find especially heinous.

I've had this argument before.....the Church's argument against the death penalty hold for even obviously evil folks like Ted Bundy and Timothy Mcveigh. Osama bin Laden is no different simply because he is believed to have been responsible for the death of 3000 Americans. Like many of the Church's teachings, the teaching on capital punishment isn't always easy. The desire for revenge is ever present in the human heart.

Admitting "vengeance is not a healthy emotion, I know. Assassination is against the law, to be sure", Winter writes that it is "better to indulge [in sin] and go to confession". As one person committing on Winter's piece pointed out, George Tiller was responsible for more deaths than Osama, yet even Winter did not support Tiller's murder.

We've heard conflicting reports as to whether or not Bin Laden was armed with a weapon when he was killed. We've been told by White House press secretary Jay Carney that being unarmed doesn't mean Bin Laden did not put up resistance. Carney did not elaborate on this and I'm not sure what he means; I'm sure we'll never know exactly what transpired.

I realize that there are certain circumstances under which it would have been permissible to kill Osama bin Laden while still following Catholic teaching. Killing him as an act of revenge or because his death makes "things" more convenient doesn't cut it.