Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

My name is Father Jeff Haines and I am the pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in West Bend. I am also the chair of Faith and Human and Societal Development Committee of the Presbyteral Council. The Presbyteral Council, also known as the Priest’s Council, is a formal means, by which Archbishop Dolan consults with the priests of the Archdiocese regarding the pastoral work and welfare of the archdiocese as well as the broad range of issues affecting the Church nationally and internationally.

I am writing this letter to introduce the attached materials on our Church’s teaching against the death penalty. As you know, the fifth commandment is “You shall not kill.” (Ex. 20:13). Jesus extended and deepened this part of Mosaic law by not only condemning violence, but also anger. (Mt 5:21-26). We are all called as Catholics to live out this Gospel message and we do so in many different ways. We do this in our own lives and we witness these values to our society. A very good example of such a witness is the effort of Catholics to protect unborn children.

One aspect of our efforts to uphold the principle that human life is sacred is opposition to the death penalty. At their fall meeting in November 2005, the bishops of the United States issued a pastoral statement “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death,” which reiterates their call for an end to the use of Capital Punishment. In support of and in conjunction with the bishops, the priests of the archdiocese through the Presbyteral Council want to promote the message of “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death.” As the bishops wrote, ending the use of the Death Penalty “is part of the church’s broad commitment to defend human life from conception to natural death whenever and wherever it is threatened.”

We offer these materials as a means to help all of us as we struggle to live out Christ’s message of life, love, and mercy. We all can benefit from a better understanding of the Church's teaching and greater dedication to applying the Gospel in our lives and in our society.

I hope that these materials are helpful for your own reflection.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Jeffrey R. Haines
Pastor, St. Frances Cabrini
FHSD Committee Chairperson

On March 16, 2006, Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan officially approved the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Presbyteral Council's resolution to affirm and support an action plan that will promote the message of “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death”. The text of the resolution is available as a PDF below.

In November 2005, the Bishops of the United States issued “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death” which calls for an end to the use of capital punishment. A comprehensive web site that includes more information, including facts about the death penalty, how people can become involved, information from the Vatican, information from dioceses across the country, and a detailed brochure are available at this link.