IMAGE: CNS photo/Jason Miczek, Reuters
By
CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) — Jurors
unanimously agreed to sentence Dylann
Roof to death for killing nine black churchgoers.
In closing statements before the
deliberation Jan. 10, the unrepentant 22-year-old told jurors that “I still
feel like I had to do it,” the Associated Press reported.
Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone said in a statement that the Catholic
Church opposes capital punishment and reminded people that all life is sacred.
“We are all sinners, but through
the father’s loving mercy and Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice upon the cross, we
have been offered the gift of eternal life. The Catholic opposition to the
death penalty, therefore, is rooted in God’s mercy. The church believes the
right to life is paramount to every other right as it affords the opportunity
for conversion, even of the hardened sinner,” Bishop Guglielmone said.
“Sentencing Dylann Roof to death
conflicts with the church’s teaching that all human life is sacred, even for
those who have committed the most heinous of crimes. Instead of pursuing death,
we should be extending compassion and forgiveness to Mr. Roof, just as some of
the victims’ families did at his bond hearing in June 2015,” the bishop added.
The jury had to reach a
unanimous decision to sentence Roof to death. Had they disagreed, he
would have been automatically sentenced to life in prison. He was convicted of
33 federal charges last month, including hate crimes. Roof acted as his own
attorney and did not question any witnesses. In his FBI confession, he said he
hoped the massacre would bring back segregation or start a race war, the Associated
Press reported.
Bishop Guglielmone offered
prayers of support for those who were killed and their families.
“Our Catholic faith sustains our
solidarity with and support for the victims of the Emanuel AME Church massacre
and their relatives. We commit ourselves to walk with these family members as
well as the survivors as they continue to heal from the trial and this
tragedy,” he said.
The bishop asked people to
continue to pray for the victims, survivors and families connected with the shooting.
He also encouraged people to pray for Roof and his family.
“May he acknowledge his sins,
convert to the Lord and experience his loving mercy,” Bishop Guglielmone said.
The Rev. Clementa Pinckney,
pastor of Emanuel AME Church, Tywanza Sanders, the Rev. Sharonda Singleton, the
Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., the Rev. Cynthia
Hurd, Myra Thompson, Ethel Lance, and Susie Jackson were killed in the
shooting.
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Contributing
to this report was The Catholic Miscellany, newspaper of the Diocese of
Charleston, S.C.
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