US Bishops' President: Commuting death sentences shows 'respect for human life'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Archbishop Timothy Broglio has spoken to Vatican Media about the recent news that US President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, who serves as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), noted the President's decision is consistent with Pope Francis' 8 December appeals to reconsider their fate and respond with mercy.

During the Angelus on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, the Holy Father called on the faithful to "pray for the prisoners who are on death row in the United States. (…)

"Let us pray," he said, "that their sentence be commuted, changed. Let us think of these brothers and sisters of ours and ask the Lord for the grace to save them from death."

In anticipation of the imminent Jubilee, which the Holy Father inaugurates on Christmas Eve with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope had written in the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee Year, Spes Non Confundit that he hopes for concrete steps such as the cancellation of foreign debt for poor countries and the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.

Vatican News: Archbishop Broglio, clearly, the news that President Biden today commuted the sentences of prisoners on death row is good news. What is your reaction?

Archbishop Broglio: I'm very, very pleased that President Biden heeded the request of Pope Francis and many, many others to make this gesture, which demonstrates respect for human life, while at the same time recognizing that these individuals have a responsibility to society, but that their lives should not be taken from them. For this reason, I'm very grateful for the President's action, and it's certainly a very fitting way for him to end his presidency.
 

Q. And what can U.S. Catholics do to foster human dignity? There are so many still on death row. What can be done to work toward abolishing the death penalty?

Well, I think we have to continue our advocacy for life from conception to natural death. I think that's something for which we raise our voices in favor. Certainly no one is sponsoring criminal activity, but we do want to say that we have systems that can protect society. And so, we should make a move to end something which is often barbaric, that is the killing of of criminals. Therefore, I think we do that at the state level now and hope that that we can have the same effect that the appeals have had on the federal level.

Q. Certainly, this seems significant with the fact that the Jubilee begins tomorrow, will be inaugurated by Pope Francis here in the Vatican. It seems like the timing is a bit interesting.

It is very appropriate timing. The theme of the Jubilee year is one of hope, and therefore, we always hold out hope for a better society, a society that's more reflective of of Christ's great gift of love to the world which we celebrate in and at Christmas and at Easter. Therefore, it's significant that these two events coincide.

Thank you so much, Archbishop, for your time.