Bill introduced to end Ohio death penalty

There is exciting news about the status of the Death Penalty in Ohio. Follow the lead of other states, Ohio Representatives Ted Celeste of Columbus and Nickie Antonio of Cleveland plan to introduce the "Execute Justice Not People" Bill in the Ohio Statehouse to abolish the Death Penalty in Ohio. There is no more final punishment than death -- for this reason, the United States Supreme Court ruled long ago that death is different. It requires a level of care and scrutiny far beyond that expected of any other aspect of our nation's criminal justice system. As Catholics, we reject the death penalty because we believe that all persons are sacred and that it is our duty to protect all life. Many a recent study has shown that the cost of the carrying out a Death Penalty sentence far exceeds that of life imprisonment and statistics show that it has not been an effective deterrent to violent crimes. For these reasons and many others, Ohio should suspend executions and commission a thorough and balanced study on our state's death penalty. Please join your fellow parishioners in the narthex after Good Friday services to add your name to the list of faithful calling for a Moratorium on the Death Penalty. There is no better day than Good Friday to address this issue; Jesus, himself, was a Death Penalty victim. Please keep all those on death row in your prayers.