Jesuits support bishops against death penalty

The head of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines has joined the chorus of opposition against moves in Congress to reinstate the death penalty, throwing his support to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in condemning it amid the wave of extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs.

“The Philippine Jesuits stand behind our bishops in condemning the wanton disregard for life that capital punishment represents, something made even more repulsive in a context where rampant killing has been taking place with apparent disregard or even endorsement,” said Fr. Antonio Moreno, the Jesuits’ provincial superior.

Moreno’s Feb. 9 statement was addressed to his fellow Jesuits and was shared with various Jesuit-run schools, including Xavier School and Ateneo de Manila University.

Moreno also encouraged fellow Jesuits to contact local legislators “to denounce legislation favoring a culture of death” and support online efforts like www.veritas846.ph/chooselife/ or the poll at www.congress.gov.ph.

He said the government’s efforts to rid the country of lawlessness and criminality was laudable, noting that such aim was an affirmation of life in its own way. “But such efforts could not be made in a manner that tears asunder an integral ethic of life,” he pointed out.

Moreno said the life of every individual person should consistently be protected, including those rejected and marginalized by society, just as the lives of the unborn and the innocent are respected.

He agreed that “its uneven implementation in a flawed judicial system, where the poor often bear the brunt of ‘justice,’” was among compelling arguments raised against the reinstatement of death penalty.

On Jan. 30, the CBCP issued a pastoral statement opposing the revival of the death penalty as Congress began plenary debates on House Bill No. 4727, a consolidated version of seven bills on the subject.