SALT LAKE CITY — Four days before the scheduled execution of Taberon Honie by the State of Utah on Aug. 8, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church will host a discussion about the death penalty. In addition, on Friday, Aug. 2 in the courtyard of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Blessed Sacrament parishioner Michelle Beasley will collect signatures for a petition against the death penalty and distribute information on the issue. A representative of the Diocese of Salt Lake City will present the petition to Governor Spencer Cox at the Capitol Building on Aug. 7.
Those opposed to the scheduled execution of Taberon Honie also may add their names to the online petition at bit.ly/TaberoneHonie.
Bishop Oscar A. Solis already has asked Catholics in the local Church to “stand against this blatant disregard for the sanctity of life, and to urge our senators and representatives to end the cruel and inhumane practice of taking life through state-sanctioned executions,” as he wrote in a July 19 memo.
“The death penalty does nothing but repay suffering with suffering,” he added. “It does not provide justice, does not restore dignity, does not make us safer as a society. Any time we allow the intentional destruction of life, we destroy respect for all life.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church [2267] notes that the inherent dignity of the human person is a core tenet of Catholic teaching, stating, “The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
True justice requires that the physical, emotional, material, social and spiritual needs of victims be addressed; it also means encouraging those who committed the crime to acknowledge their offenses, atone for their criminal actions and make amends. Putting someone to death does not achieve either of these goals, it does not provide justice, it does not restore dignity, it does not make us safer as a society.
“Any time we allow the intentional destruction of life, we destroy respect for all life,” Bishop Solis said.
The event at Blessed Sacrament Parish, “Conversations About the Death Penalty” will feature Abraham Bonowitz, who formerly supported executions and now is head of Death Penalty Action, a national organization that opposes executions in the United States; SueZann Bosler, co-founder of Journey of Hope … From Violence to Healing; and Randy Gardner, brother of Ronnie Lee Gardner, who was executed by the State of Utah in 2010.
“Conversations About the Death Penalty” will be Sunday, Aug. 4 at 2 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Parish, 9800 South 1700 East, Sandy. The event is free and open to the public.
Beasley will be collecting signatures for the petition on Friday, Aug. 2 2-4 p.m., as well as on Sunday, Aug. 4 at noon in the plaza of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City.
There also will be a vigil outside the prison and/or at the State Capitol starting at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7 leading up to the execution, which is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 8.
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