"Tensions and Tragedy": World Day Against The Death Penalty

On March 15, 2018, the State of Georgia executed Carlton Michael Gary, for the crimes of rape and murder. The case against Gary was based on the flimsy and conflicting evidence of an “eye witness” and a claim that he had confessed although no documentation of the alleged confession existed. Ultimately, it was shown that a dental mold ordered by lawyers, the size of a footprint found at the scene of the crime, and DNA evidence excluded Gary. In Gary’s unsuccessful petition for clemency, Gary’s lawyers stated that “we are not talking about questionable recanting witnesses who came forward long after the trial, but hard physical evidence of innocence.” Nonetheless, the execution of Gary went ahead.

October 10 marks the 18th “World Day Against the Death Penalty” (capital punishment). The day, supported by numerous world governments, the European Union, the United Nations, Amnesty International, and many NGOs, calls on all people to oppose the death penalty, globally and in all cases.

The following reasons are given by those who call for the abolition of the death penalty:

• The inherent possibility of mistakes being made by the justice system whereby innocent persons may be condemned to death. The example of the case described briefly above illustrates this point. Globally, there is compelling evidence that wrongful executions occur and not infrequently. There is also evidence that confessions are often derived from torture.

• The practice is inhumane and rather than bringing justice for brutal crimes it perpetuates a cycle of violence.

• The act is irreversible, leaving no possibility for repentance or forgiveness.

• The death penalty is ineffective in deterring violent crime.

• Importantly, the death penalty is disproportionately applied to the poor, visible minorities, and marginalized groups.

• Often, little attention is paid to the existence of mental illness and cognitive challenges in the perpetrators.

Sister Helen Prejean

Sister of St. Joseph, Helen Prejean, makes the point that “if we believe that murder is wrong and not admissible in our society, then it has to be wrong for everyone, not just individuals but governments as well. Sister Helen continues, “people are more than the worst thing they have done.” These words guide her ministry with people on “death row” as depicted in the powerful book and movie, based on a true story, “Dead Man Walking”.

Sister Helen’s words, however, may give rise to moral tension in us especially when we look upon heinous crimes, particularly murder, often committed against children, adolescents with so much promise in their lives, and seniors.

In “Dead Man Walking”, we see Sister Helen facing such moral tension.  Lloyd Le Blanc, the father of a teenage boy murdered alongside his young girlfriend, challenges Sister Helen. Lloyd reprimands her for not speaking out for the victims and their families. His excruciating pain moves Sister Helen profoundly. She reflects upon and questions her position and above all, she reaches out to Lloyd and his family with deep compassion. She does, not, however, alter her pastoral care for the alleged perpetrator, Patrick Sonnier whose own poverty and sad life speak volumes. For Sister Helen, “mercy is stronger and more God-like than vengeance.”

Interestingly, it is Lloyd LeBlanc who witnesses so convincingly to this. In the book, we read that when he was taken to view the body of his son, he knelt by him and prayed the Lord’s prayer. As he reached the line, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”, he added, “whoever did this, I forgive them.” Said in one moment, Lloyd continues to struggle to live out that forgiveness day by day. In his actions, he bears witness to it. He provides financial support for Sister Helen’s ongoing work, he regularly prays not only for his son but also for the Sonnier family, even comforting Sonnier’s mother on her deathbed. What Lloyd shows us is that while punishment is necessary, revenge and the death penalty are not the answer.

Together with others, many religious traditions echo this. The Roman Catholic Church has, in recent years, moved to the abolition of the death penalty. In line with his ever-evolving “consistent ethic of life” position, Pope John Paul II was clear on the issue. He stated, “A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself without definitively denying criminals the chance of reform. I appeal for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.”

In his Encyclical (letter) entitled, Fratelli Tutti signed just a few days ago (October 3), Pope Francis follows in his predecessor’s footsteps now categorically stating that the death penalty is a “false answer” that “ultimately does no more than introduce new elements of destruction in the fabric of national and global society”. Francis thus, “calls upon all Christians and people of goodwill to work for the abolition of the death penalty.”

Today, The World Day for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, October 10, provides us all no matter our background, religious or not, to work together for this end.

Sister Mary Rowell, CSJ

Taking A Stand for Justice

The deep prejudice against African Americans is so painful and shameful to witness on our newscasts, and in our own experience and makes me think of the way Sister St John Fournier in 1845 defended the teaching of African American girls, against a furious white mob in St. Louis, who came at night to forcibly drive out the Sisters.  I want to share with you what she wrote about it. 

But first, I think we would be proud to note also that in the book Spirited Lives, which treats the way a French Sisterhood, namely the Sisters of St. Joseph, adapted to American culture, the authors (Carol K. Coburn and Martha Smith) has a footnote listing those Sisterhoods that used slave labor, and state that the Sisters of St. Joseph never did so. (Spirited Lives, footnote 14, p.241). 

-Sister Wendy Cotter, csj

Now, here is Sister Saint John Fournier: 

Sister St. John Fournier

"In 1845 Bishop Kendrick, [Bishop of St. Louis] established a school for Catholic coloured girls, the daughters of free negroes". Sister Saint John Fournier  (to whom Mother Saint John had given her name while she was preparing to come to the New World, a new novice) was now thirty years old when she faced the threats of a mob determined to drive them from the house.  Here is her account:  

"Obedience sent me there with two Sisters.  We were preparing these girls for the reception of the Sacraments. This so displeased the white people that they threatened to drive us away by force.  The leaders came every day. One morning several persons spoke to me after Mass and warned me that the next night we were to be driven from the house. I had no fear and said nothing to the Sisters because I had so much confidence in the Blessed Virgin.  I placed miraculous medals on the street door and on the fence.  

That night, at eleven o'clock a great noise suddenly awakened the Sisters.  A crowd of men, gathered in the street, were screaming and blaspheming.   We cast ourselves on our knees and began the Miserere and other prayers.  In the meantime, the enraged mob rushed upon the door.   The police drove them away. They returned three times that night.  The Blessed Virgin protected us.  In spite of their fury and their efforts, they succeeded neither in opening nor forcing the door.  

The day after this occurrence, the Mayor of Saint Louis advised the Bishop to close the school for the time being. Peace was restored.  The Sisters' schools received indiscriminately rich and poor, Catholics, Protestants, schismatics, and children of all religions.  A few years later, the asylum alone numbered two hundred fifty orphans."  

- Mother Saint John Fontbonne; A Biography, 1936 English translation of the French original, 1929, researched and written by "A Sister of St. Joseph", pp 358-359.                                       

What Kind of Tomorrow Do we Want?

With September just ahead of us, I hear a lot of conversation that expresses our longing to return to some kind of “normal”.  Usually, shortly after that, I hear other talk wondering what the new normal is going to look like.  And at the same time we are witnessing the struggle all of us, governments included, wondering what kind of choices are before us. 

We have all been impacted by this pandemic.  But we have never before in our lifetime had the opportunity to make real substantial change in our programs, our economics, and our social lives.  The kind of change needed affecting jobs, education, investment, health care, etc. are not minor things that just tinkering around the edges of policy can fix.  We need changes to lift everyone to a place where they can participate in their communities using the abilities, and creativity of everyone.  That means acknowledging the inequities around us.

On our social media platforms – Twitter and Facebook - we are posting ideas encouraging all of us to talk with others suggesting ideas about creating a society that allows all of us to use and enjoy the goods and services in our towns, cities, and beyond.  Talk with your MPs or MPPs, or city Councillors.  And talk with your neighbours.  The magnitude of these changes will not be easy, but we will never again have an opportunity like now to reshape the communities that can include all of us.  Often the best ideas begin with the ordinary and casual conversations with those around us.  Be curious about what others are thinking, and ask questions of why, or how.  Be curious and not certain – all change begins with curious questions.  Let’s not wait to begin these conversations!

- Joan Atkinson, CSJ

Building the World After Covid-19 With Women And Girls

It has been more than 200 days since the outbreak of COVID-19 in December and every community around the world has been impacted. Our lives have changed.  And we are learning new ways of supporting one another as economies slowly reopen.

In Africa, the number of cases has now surpassed 500,000. Since March, the virus has claimed 11 959 lives, overtaking the 11 308 lives lost in the world’s worst Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. And if these numbers are low compared to other countries, the impact of the lockdown and curfews on the livelihoods of local communities including vulnerable women in rural and remote areas has been devastating.

There is a mounting food security crisis due to lockdowns and curfews, which have restricted mobility and disrupted markets to grow, buy, and sell food. One partner in Senegal noted “If COVID does not kill us, hunger will,” says Ousmane Sarr, Communications Officer at RESOPP. In fact, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that the world could see famines of “biblical proportions” if no action is taken. More than 60% of employed women in sub-Saharan Africa work in agriculture yet will most likely suffer from hunger if they are not protected from this potential threat.

Crossroads is mounting a COVID response with local partners to respond to urgent food security needs in vulnerable communities providing emergency food and sanitary supplies (soap, rice, grains, pulses, etc.) with education critical for prevention; as well as new support to women and girls at risk of gender-based violence.  Women and girls make up the largest group of people exposed to contagion because of their role as caregivers. They are at the frontlines of the pandemic, bearing most of the responsibility for caring for the sick and elderly in their homes and communities. There is a real and present risk of high fatality rates from the disease in developing countries where health and sanitation systems are weak if contagion cannot be prevented. Now is the time to act.

Many of Crossroads partners are reporting increased incidence of violence and abuse of girls, with some countries reporting a surge in teen pregnancies. According to the UN, there has been a ‘horrifying global surge’ in domestic violence towards women and girls, linked to COVID-19 lockdowns. Women are experiencing a heightened risk of gender-based violence from abusive partners and increased isolation, separating them from the people and resources that can best help them.

School closures due to the lockdowns have also increased the risks for girls to be sexually exploited or forced out of school forever because of unintended teen pregnancies and early marriages. There is a need to act now to ensure specific protections for the rights of girls and young women. Cuts to education budgets and rising poverty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could force at least 9.7 million children out of school forever by the end of this year, with millions more falling behind in learning. And girls are more likely to be more affected than boys, with many being forced out of school, into the labour market -- as is already reported in Burkina Faso where we work -- or into early marriage.

Crossroads International with the support of its funding partners is mobilizing resources to help partners re-tool in the face of new challenges.  Direct support for things like access to telecommunications can support the provision of essential services to local communities and help kickstart local economies. As information services move to digital platforms to accommodate physical distancing, our partners in remote areas need help to adapt and provide emergency outreach and counselling over the phone or online. As resilient leaders, farmers, caretakers, and business owners, women can help solve these problems: we need to invest in supporting them. Only by working together, by putting resources in women’s hands can we come out of this pandemic stronger than before.

-Wanjiro Ndungu, Manager Philanthropy, Crossroads International

How serious are we about “Black Lives Matter”?

How serious are we about “Black Lives Matter”?

If some of you reading this are like me following too much news in Canada and the U.S. I wonder if we ask ourselves if we really are serious about racism in any form.  Just this past week the police have used excessive forces that ended the life of more black Americans, more indigenous people in Canada, and with live video coverage of these events.  People all over the world are protesting under the banner of ‘Black Lives Matter” but it will take more than street protests for us to recognize the systemic racism and bias that is built into the systems that structure our lives and our countries.  All this unrest is happening at the same time that a serious pandemic is pulling the curtain back on communities that are more adversely affected by this virus. Those communities do not have the same access to goods and services that most of us take for granted.  We are learning how more poor, black and Hispanic and some Indigenous communities have suffered more deaths from this virus than white more affluent communities.  At the same time, many of the essential services needed during these past months are done by people of colour, putting themselves and their families at risk.

Black Lives Matter protest, London Ontario, June 6, 2020

I was at the rally and march in Victoria Park in London where an estimated 10,000 people attended raising our voices saying enough is enough!  But, if that is true, then that march is only the first step in recognizing the deep change that needs to happen. In every system that structures our lives - police, education, health care, social services, religion, politics, and more - we must uncover the inequities in opportunities, in funding, in services that put more of our people with less opportunity at risk.  The work of changing our systems in a long hard task that will take careful thought, the ideas and time of many people, and resources needed to create more inclusive communities.  I hope the rally at Victoria Park in London and hundreds of rallies all over the world is a commitment that by taking this first step, the next ones will follow.  After all, creating a better world benefits every one of us.  It is a journey worth walking.

-Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ