Campaign for the Abolition of the Death Penalty Columbus, Ohio
Monday, April 10, 2006
Sponsored by Catholic Students for Peace and Justice
Statement of Purpose:
Students from Catholic High Schools and Colleges from the Diocese of Cleveland are convening in Columbus on April 10, 2006 to call for the abolition of the Death Penalty in Ohio, to pray for the victims of violent crimes and their family members, and to pray for those who have been executed and are currently on death row awaiting their execution. Out of a common commitment to Catholic Social Teaching in the context of a consistent ethic of life, the students and faculty from the Catholic schools they represent, have decided to take this action. Catholic students who have traveled to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville to be a prayerful witness against state-sanctioned killing during the past 3 years have expressed a growing desire to communicate to lawmakers about changing legislation. This is also an opportune time for action since the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has recently released a document entitled “The Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death” (November 2005) which calls for the end of the death penalty in the United States. April 10th is an important date since this year it is the Monday of Holy Week, the Week when Christians remember how Jesus was executed at the hands of the state. Students from Catholic schools all over the State have been invited to arrive by bus that morning at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Columbus, where they will attend mass, and then march to the State Capitol where they will assemble at a rally to present the Ohio Congressional Representatives, Senators, and Governor with petitions to end the Death Penalty in the State. Additionally, a small group of students from various schools will be taking a bike trip from Cleveland to Columbus (approximately 160 miles) beginning on Friday April 7th, and meeting up with the bus riders the morning of Monday April 10th.