The death penalty is a topic I’ve been interested in for a long time, and I’m so pleased to be discussing it today with McKenna. McKenna is a grad student who comes to us with a passion for capital punishment and it’s place in the pro-life discourse. As Sr. Helen Prejean says, “people are more than the worst thing they have ever done in their lives.” McKenna and I discuss what inspired her to learn more about this area of criminal justice, what resources we should turn to if we’re interested in getting involved, and what the church’s official position on the death penalty is.
When Jesus shows mercy in the gospels, he instructs us to do the same. Not once, but over and over. Is this an easy task? No. But Catholics were not made for ease, for comfort, for popular opinion. We were made for mercy and justice, and in following Christ’s lead, I believe we can be a truly pro-life people. Enjoy our conversation!
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Topics discussed:
How to balance an idea of right justice with mercy
Where McKenna got her passion for the death penalty
Recent changes within the Catholic Church on the death penalty
If McKenna herself ever struggles with this issue
How the justice system in the US is broken at times
Resources for continued education on capital punishment
What’s been bringing McKenna closer to God