{"id":2252,"date":"2013-02-09T01:03:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-09T01:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/gov-jindal-rejects-request-to-halt-ash-wednesday-execution\/"},"modified":"2013-02-09T01:03:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-09T01:03:00","slug":"gov-jindal-rejects-request-to-halt-ash-wednesday-execution-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/gov-jindal-rejects-request-to-halt-ash-wednesday-execution-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Jindal rejects request to halt Ash Wednesday execution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Baton Rouge, La., Feb 8, 2013 \/ 06:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Gov. Bobby Jindal has rejected the Louisiana Catholic bishops' request to halt the scheduled Ash Wednesday execution of a convicted murderer.<\/p>\n

\tThe Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops on Feb. 4 condemned the \u201cevil and tragic\u201d actions of Christopher Sepulvado, a 69-year-old convicted for the 1992 murder of his six-year-old stepson Wesley Allen Mercer who was beaten to death.<\/p>\n

\tThe bishops said that the execution by lethal injection of a \u201cfaithful Catholic\u201d on Ash Wednesday would be \u201cinconsistent with the Lenten call for reconciliation and redemption and an unnecessary tragic irony.\u201d They called on Gov. Jindal, a Catholic Republican, and the Louisiana Board of Pardons to halt the execution.<\/p>\n

\tA spokesman for the governor on Feb. 5 said Jindal \u201csees no reason to intervene in the case,\u201d the Associated Press reports.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe trial was handled appropriately, and the punishment decided on by a jury of Mr. Sepulvado\u2019s peers is proportional to the crime he committed,\u201d spokesman Sean Lansing said.<\/p>\n

\tThe Catholic bishops said they acknowledge \u201cthe Christian power of reconciliation and redemption\u201d which they said Sepulvado has \u201cembraced.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHe has expressed remorse for his actions while at the same time embracing his faith and ministering to his fellow inmates,\u201d the bishops said. \u201cExecuting Christopher will not bring Wesley back to life, nor will it provide healing, reconciliation, or peace to those involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tCiting Pope John Paul II\u2019s 1995 encyclical \u201cEvangelium Vitae,\u201d the bishops said that the Catholic Church and society are \u201cchallenged to consistently speak against any assault on human life, including the practice of state-sanctioned killing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThey said the state has the duty to protect its citizens, but they said non-lethal means are sufficient to do so.<\/p>\n

\tThey added that human life is \u201ca gift that is freely and undeservedly bestowed on us by our Creator, and not to be taken away by humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe bishops offered prayer and solidarity for the victim\u2019s family and for all families of victims of violent crime.<\/p>\n

\tThe inter-denominational Louisiana Interchurch Conference has also opposed the execution, the Associated Press reports. Fifty Catholic theologians and scholars from across the U.S. are among the 1,200 signers of a petition seeking clemency for Sepulvado.<\/p>\n

\tArchbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans led an interfaith vigil for a reprieve for Sepulvado and for an end to the death penalty on the evening of Feb. 7 at New Orleans\u2019 Notre Dame Seminary. The Archdiocese of New Orleans organized the vigil with the group Louisiana Catholics Committed to Repeal of the Death Penalty.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baton Rouge, La., Feb 8, 2013 \/ 06:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Gov. Bobby Jindal has rejected the Louisiana Catholic bishops' request to halt the scheduled Ash Wednesday execution of a convicted murderer.<\/p>\n

\tThe Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nGov. Jindal rejects request to halt Ash Wednesday execution<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Baton Rouge, La., Feb 8, 2013 \/ 06:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Gov. Bobby Jindal has rejected the Louisiana Catholic bishops' request to halt the scheduled Ash Wednesday execution of a convicted murderer. 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