The State of Texas, in which I currently reside, has legally executed its 400th human person since it resumed use of the death penalty in 1982. As a Catholic, I find it extraordinarily distressing that 38 states in the U.S. administer the death penalty to some persons convicted of grave and heinous crimes. Texas has executed more than four times the number of convicted persons than any other state, and currently has 392 people on death row. Three are scheduled to be put to death next week.
Prior to his execution, the European Union appealed to Texas Governor Rick Perry to spare the life of Johnny Ray Conner, perhaps taking a cue from Pope John Paul II who typically appealed for clemency whenever he was aware of an immanent execution somewhere in the world.
Let us pray and hope for God’s mercy on Johnny Ray Conner, and let us pray for justice and respect for all human persons, from conception to natural death. Let us also pray for Kathyanna Nguyen, who was the victim and of whose murder Conner was convicted.
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