Troy David Executed

On Wednesday, September 21st, Troy Davis was executed by the State of Georgia.  He was pronounced dead at 11:08 PM.  Troy was executed despite significant claims of innocence and appeals from Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and hundreds of thouseands of other influential and ordinary citizens.

IHM members attended the protest at the death house in Jackson, Georgia.  Approximately 500 people gathered to sing, pray and chant as the 7 PM hour of execution appeared.  Riot police across the street swelled in number and in aggressive tactics as the evening wore on.  But unfortunately, despite a 4 hour delay, the execution was carried out as planned at 11:08 PM.

We mourn the death of a human being, innocent or not, and grieve with the Davis family.  We pray that the MacPhail family might find God's healing touch.  The State has now created sisters, nieces, nephews and friends who grieve for the loss of a loved one.  The international spotlight was on Georgia last night, and it showed a hollow, violent and broken system of justice.

With Troy gone, we continue to struggle and to heed the words of Pope John Paul II:
 
"The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary."