MANILA, August 25 – The CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) has commended the Joint Committee of
Civil, Political and Human Rights and the Committee on Revision of Laws for pushing for the abolition of the death penalty. The committees are headed by Rep. Etta Rosales and Rep. Orlando Fua, respectively.The ECPPC is the Episcopal Conference's lead agency in the advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty in the country and for the moratorium on executions as Congress considers a proposal to repeal
the Death Penalty Law.
"Theirs is the voice of reason amidst the clamor of some of our leaders for 'an eye for an eye' approach and solution to the problem of criminality – an approach that gives the
illusion that the only way to appease the victim is to put to death the offender," read a statement issued by the Commission recently.
The ECPPC added the members of the committees, in seeking for the
abolition of capital punishment, "are declaring that in pursuing justice, one need not yield to vengeance and barbarism, and that one can work for justice that heals and not justice that kills."
The
statement continues: "The CBCP-ECPPC hails the members of the committees for addressing crime in a way befitting a nation that believes in God; a country that is a member of a modern civilized state. Moreover,
their actions counter the culture of death that prevails in our country today.
We at the CBCP-ECPPC enjoin the other lawmakers to be one with these courageous and principled represen-tatives of the
people toward building a society without executions – a society that upholds the dignity of every person."
