On Good Friday, we again remember the most known execution in the history of the world. We remember Jesus being nailed to the cross in accord with the laws of his country. We also remember Mary standing at the foot of the cross --- watching as her son is killed by the state.
There are many victims involved in every case that ends with an execution, beginning with the family members of the person who was killed in the crime that led to the conviction. To those who believe in restorative justice, the family of the person who is executed becomes the newest set of victims. Both have lost loved ones at the hands of another --- in the latter case, it is the State who creates this new set of victims.
Another set of victims of the death penalty seldom comes to mind: the people the State hires to carry out the execution. This was clearly brought home to me when I was part of a delegation to San Quentin last September. The California Catholic Conference of Bishops arranged the visit to the prison and to Death Row.
Our day ended with a visit to the death chamber. A lieutenant who has participated in all of the more recent California executions took us step by step through the execution process. He recounted the killing process as if he were a robot.
There were no feelings attached what he was relating to us. He explained the death of another human being as if neither of them were humans. The death penalty had killed all that was human inside him. He had to deny his own humanity and rid himself of feelings to do the job he was asked to do.
As we stepped outside the death chamber, we had our final discussion with the captain who had been our escort for the day. He has worked on death row for quite awhile and on weekends he is pastor of a Christian church in a nearby community. We asked him how he could preach the love of Jesus on weekends and be part of this killing process during the week. He stunned us with his reply: "You have to leave your faith at the gate when you come to work in this place."
These two men are both victims of the death penalty. One's humanity has been killed and the other's faith dies every time he comes to do the killing work of our state.
As we remember the execution of Jesus, we need to continue to pray for all victims of capital crimes: the murder victims' families, the executed persons' families, and the people that we, the people of California, hire to kill in our name.
Father George Horan co-directs the archdiocesan Office of Restorative Justice.
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