A Desire for Death

On May 11th 2018, Pope Francis officially approved a new draft of no. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This section now states that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” For practicing Catholics this development of doctrine should come as no surprise. Seeds of this change can be seen in the last major update to no. 2267 when Saint John Paul II updated the text to recognize that the conditions for the acceptable use of the death penalty “are very rare, if not practically nonexistent.” As you can imagine this announcement was met with much condemnation from pro-death penalty supporters who identify as Christian and non-Christian alike.  

It is this condemnation that I would like to bring to focus. As Christians we believe the ultimate arbiter of good and evil is Jesus. It is with this knowledge in mind that Saint Teresa of Calcutta made the suggestion to “do what Jesus would do if Jesus was in your position,” when speaking with Gov. George Deukmejian of California in 1990.  The governor had a choice before him: to let a prisoner be executed or commute his sentence to life in prison. The governor chose to do nothing and the prisoner was executed a few years later. While this moment may be in the past, the moral question is still being asked of us each and every day. For “he who says he abides in [Christ] ought to walk in the same way in which [Christ] walked” (1 John 2:6).

So how did Jesus walk? When presented with the opportunity to decide the fate of a women guilty of adultery (an offense punishable by death under Old Testament laws [Leviticus 20:10]) Jesus did not desire death. He instead uttered the famous words “let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7). Christ, who is without sin, goes a step further by ending the encounter with the women by saying “neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again” (John 8:11). While there are deeper meanings to this passage we cannot ignore the literal meaning as well. While justice may have demanded she be stoned, mercy demanded that she not be condemned.

Now there will be those that respond to this by referencing the Old Testament law of an “eye for and eye” (Exodus 21:24) but again we must look to Jesus in all things. The only time Jesus references an eye for an eye it is to show us a new path. “You have heard that is was said, ‘an eye for an eye… but I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39). Again, I do not deny that there are multiple meanings in this passage but at a minimum the literal meaning does indicate that an eye for an eye is not the ultimate expression of the law.

In addition, those who turn to the Old Testament for the law do so only selectively. While many crimes warranted the death penalty (for example: homosexuality, bestiality, prostitution, falsely claiming to be a virgin, rape, murder, breaking the Sabbath, adultery, etc.) in the Old Testament, even the most ardent death penalty supporters would not want to reinstate the capital punishment for each of these instances. It is not a matter of throwing out the laws of the Old Testament, it is that we must look to Jesus in their application. Jesus did not desire to abolish them either; He came to give them their full meaning. Adultery is a perfect example of this. Jesus extends the law when he said “everyone who looks at a women lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27) while at the same time showing mercy by not supporting the stoning of an adulterer. 

To the followers of Christ that condemn the Pope’s actions regarding the death penalty, I ask a simple question: are you following the example of Christ? Is the death penalty what God desires, or what you desire? In most parts of the world there are now institutions that can protect the innocent without resorting to the death penalty. With plenty of options on the table that support life, why is any Christian desiring more death?