Death Penalty Catholic teaching, skep ticalrespon se are themes at USF
By Jack Smith
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the subject of the 5th annual Archbishop John R. Quinn Colloquium on Catholic Social Teaching held at the University of San Francisco on Saturday, March 3rd. The colloquium, attended by more than 250 people sought to discuss ways of "Communicating Catholic Social Teaching to a Skeptical Community." USF President, Jesuit Father Stephen A Privett, introduced the topic by reflecting on a recent visit he made to San Quentin 's death row. "I have no doubt about the harm and suffering that these men have caused, but I also have no doubt that they are human beings, and death row is no place for human beings," he said. The conditions Father Privett found on death row reminded him of a kennel. Christian attitudes toward the death penalty have changed in theology and practice over the centuries, according to James Megivern, Ph.D. Dr. Megivern is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Theology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Dr. Megivern said that the history of the death penalty in Christian society is an oddity because "it is in Christian ethics, the only act of direct and deliberate destruction of human life traditionally authorized by both church and state. " The early Church generally held the death penalty in contempt. All instances of the death penalty in the New Testament — the beheading of John the Baptist, the Crucifixion of Jesus, the stoning of St. Stephen — are shown as unj ust uses of state power, according to Dr. Megivern . "The very notion of witnessing with one 's blood, martyrdom, is but the flip side of unjust state authorized killing, " he said. By die 4th century, with growing acceptance of Christianity, some in the Church changed their attitude "from that of victim to that of executioner ". Dr. Megivern believes that uncritical support for the death penalty among Christians is a vestige of the Constantinian social order when the death penalty was used to | deal with the intractable problem of heresy, he said. "The practice o oJ was there first ," he said, "then the theologians and canonists had to do what they could to work out its theoretical justification " . H Still there was a split between the theoretical justification of > (D o the death penalty and attitudes toward its implementation. St X Augustine, who developed a j ustification in principle for the s death penalty in certain circumstances , often pleaded with magistrates not to impose it because it was a violation of the spirit of the Gospel, Dr. Megivern said. While some Church theologians and documents had constructed limited justifications for the death penalty, its application DEATH PENALTY, page 6
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Earthquake survivors pray in front of the crackedfac ade of their ruined church in Nuevo Tepetitan, El Salvador. The Archdiocese of San Francisco has sent a $150,000 contribution to aid the relief effo rts in the Central American country . . . Page 3.
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ominican Sister Glenn Anne McPliee, will be leaving the archdiocese this summer to take the top Catholic i education post in the nation but her heart will stay in San Francisco, where she has served as Superintendent of Catholic Schools since ; 1987. " The only thing I know for certain this morning is how very difficult this is going to be — to say good bye. I love San Francisco and I love you all," Sister McPhee told her co-workerswhen her appointment as Secretary for Education at the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) was announced March 2. "I will be back, " she said. "I will find many reasons to visit San Francisco." Archbishop William Levada praised Sister McPhee 's service to the archdiocese and especially its school children. "It's difficult for me to imagine we won't have her services at the archdiocese any longer," he said. "We are generous to a fault in sending her to Washington. Our only requirementis that she continue to share her talents with us. She has been, a blessing." "Her appointment to this national position is a recognition of her long experience and accomplishments in the field of Catholic education , " he said. "Without a doubt, she has made excellent contributions in the Archdiocese during her tenure as superintendent of schools. I am grateful to God for her many gifts. Sister has our prayers as she undertakes this new set of challenges on a national scale." SISTER GLENN ANNE MCPHEE, page 17