WASHINGTON - On March 23, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 8-1 in favor of John Ramirez, a death row inmate, in his challenge to the State of Texas s denial of his request that his pastor audibly pray and lay hands on him as the state executes him. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the USCCB s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued the following statement:"As fallen creatures, we are all in need of God s grace and forgiveness. For John Ramirez s actions, the state sentenced him to death. He has asked the state to allow him what he sincerely believes he needs to prepare for the end of this life. The Supreme Court has rightly ruled that the state did not meet the appropriately high bar the law sets to deny the condemned the accompaniment that their religion prescribes."Permitting Mr. Rami
The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of a Texas prisoner who wanted his pastor to pray over him and place his hands on him in the execution chamber. It will likely impact other death-row prisoners with similar requests.
WASHINGTON (CNS) The Supreme Court March 24 ruled in favor of a Texas prisoner who wanted his pastor to pray aloud over him and place his hands on him in the execution chamber.
Photo illustration. / ShutterstockWashington D.C., Mar 1, 2022 / 10:35 am (CNA).Thirteen Catholic lawmakers in the U.S. Senate voted Monday in favor of a failed attempt to pass a sweeping new abortion law that threatened to override states pro-life laws and remove restrictions on abortion up to the point of birth, in some cases.Their support of the defeated bill, called the Women s Health Protection Act, placed them sharply at odds with the clear teaching of their Catholic faith, which strictly prohibits abortion and condemns efforts to promote it. Church leaders and Catholic pro-life advocates were quick to criticize the senators votes after the measure was defeated on Feb. 28."Catholics are tired of seeing their faith used as a political football on the campaign trail, then thrown aside by Catholic political figures when they need to vote along the party line against the Church s most fundamental moral teachings," Joshua Mercer, the communications director for CatholicVot