United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Chapter 29. Fifth Commandment: Promote the Culture of Life • 395

Developments have rendered the death penalty inappropriate as pun ishment. St. John Paul II pointed out that contemporary society has no need of the death penalty to defend itself, particularly with the “steady improvements in the organization of the penal system” ( The Gospel of Life , no. 56). The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that “more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption” (no. 2267). On a more practical level, not only is the death penalty unnecessary, but there are also serious problems in applying the death penalty in a fair and consistent manner. In their statement, the U.S. bishops observe that the application of the death penalty “is deeply flawed and can be irreversibly wrong, is prone to errors, and is biased by factors such as race, the quality of legal representation, and where the crime was com mitted” (p. 3). Even apart from outright bias, there is always the risk of the execution of innocent people by an imperfect legal system. Today, it is no longer justifiable nor reasonable to apply the death penalty. The death penalty is not needed to protect society. Its applica tion is inequitable and deeply flawed. It does not promote a culture of life. “Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviola bility and dignity of the person,’ and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide” (CCC, no. 2267). So magnificent is this aim [for peace] that human resources alone, even though inspired by the most praiseworthy good will, cannot hope to achieve it. God himself must come to man’s aid with his heavenly assistance, if human society is to bear the closest possible resemblance to the Kingdom of God. ( Peace on Earth [ Pacem in Terris ], no. 168) The best way to avoid war is to safeguard peace by letting go of the anger and hatred that breed war and by eliminating the poverty, injus tice, and deprivation of human rights that lead to war. Disarmament needs to be encouraged. “The arms race is one of the greatest curses on War St. John XXIII wrote that peace is a gift from God: