Bishop Gettelfinger stood in solidarity with the Archbishop and asked the committee members to keep as a backdrop the question of why is it, in a country such as ours, we must resort to the simple, base act of killing another person so that we might protect ourselves. The committee's next meeting is June 5, and the final report to the Governor is scheduled in August. Excerpts from Archbishop Buechlein's recent statement on Timothy McVeigh's stay of execution appears below. Any decision not to take a human life is a good decision, even if it represents only a temporary delay. The stay of execution of Timothy McVeigh in no way changes the Church's position on the death penalty.
All human life is sacred from the moment of conception until natural death.
The death penalty for capital crimes, while a right of the state, is no longer the only way for society to protect itself from the criminal. We have no evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent. It devalues human life and ignores the sacredness of life. It doesn't contribute to the advancement of society but rather drags society down. It does not honor the victims, nor does it alleviate the anger and grief of the victims' families and loved ones.