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The City Sentinel, staff report
OKLAHOMA CITY – This week, heads of state made an official appeal for the execution dates of seven people currently on death row.
In response to the news, Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City, and Most Reverend David A. Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa, issued a joint statement. In a press release sent to The Sentinel of the City and other news outlets, the two Catholic leaders said:
“We are disappointed and surprised by the state’s rush to set execution dates for six men on death row as federal court reviews Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocol to determine if it is constitutional. The move can also set aside and cancel a switching hearing already set by the state for one of the men, Julius Jones.
“It is important for us to support the survivors and the families of the victims who have been devastated by these crimes.
“But we have other ways to demand justice and protect our communities without resorting to the death penalty. We know from DNA evidence that many people have been sentenced to death and are subsequently cleared. Historically, there has been prejudice and arbitrariness in the application of the death penalty.
“It also costs nine times more to execute a prisoner than to impose life imprisonment. Ultimately, the death penalty denies the possibility of repentance and diminishes the dignity of all human life.
Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley (left), Archbishop of Oklahoma City, and Most Reverend David A. Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa.
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