Some Iowa church leaders are speaking out against the death penalty on thisGood Friday, a day Christians believe Jesus was executed on the cross nearlytwo-thousand years ago. Tom Chapman, spokesman for the Des Moines Diocese ofthe Catholic Church, urges Iowans to denounce the death penalty.Iowa abolished the death penalty during the 1960s, but Chapman saysresidents here still see justice carried out for killers with life sentenceswithout parole.Some people might argue FOR the death penalty using the Old Testament whichsaid “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” meaning, killers should bekilled. Chapman says the Catholic Church disagrees, saying the death penaltycontinues a cycle of violence. He says you cannot teach that killing iswrong by killing people.The last execution in Iowa was in 1963. The death penalty was abolished herein 1965. Of the 50 states, 38 have legislation allowing the use of the deathpenalty, though only 29 have carried out executions in the past 3 decades.
