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Frank Elijah Smith's (Death Row Florida) Letter to Pope John Paul II
Frank Elijah Smith 046920
Union Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 221 (Cell PIII8S) A-I -
Raiford, FL 32083
John II
His Holiness Pope
Vatican City State
Europe
Most Holy Father,
I am writing you this letter hoping to enlist your assistance in a matter toward which you and I have similar sentiments: the issue of capual punishment.
As you well know, the death penalty is more of a political sentence than one of criminal justice. I have a vested interest in the abolishment of the death penalty as I have been on Florida's death row since 1979.
My own selfish motives aside, I am truly
concerned about the effect that state sanctioned murder is having on our
society as a whole, part of which includes my
14 year old nephew.
We are seeing an entire generation of our youth being subjected to desensitization of human life. Our young people are far more sophisticated in terms of access to information concerning issues that require more mature cognitation than they are capable of comprehending. As a result they incorporate our social philosophies and emulate our practices on a juvenile level.
Case in point: In the United States
there have been a rash of violent acts committed by our youth i.e. the
school shootings in Littleton, Colorado and Springfield, Oregon. A young
man was tied to a fence and beaten to death simply because he was gay.
And why not? After all we have a multitude
of "authority figures-, such as presidents, governors, senators, parents
and policemen, wrongfully advocating that vengeance is ours
Our children think revenge is "cool" and someone must take the initiative and demonstrate otherwise. I am urging you to become that 'someone. I am aware of your position on the death penalty but we in America need for you to take a firmer stand.
As I mentioned, the death penalty is politically driven. Many of the politicians involved in promoting and maintaining the institution of capital puriishment are members of the Catholic Church and many of the people who vote for these politicians are of the Catholic faith.
I truly believe that the strongest message you could send to the world at large is to exercise the power of excommunication in this regard. As long as the Church tolerates people in high places ignoring Your Holiness, why shouldn't the rest of us?
It is the same dilemma that our youth
face, "If the adults can justify killing people in
anger, then so can we. How can it be
wrong if our parents say it is right?" I think that any Catholic
who seeks and gains elective office must face the threat of excommunication
for their advocacy of capital punishment. Perhaps this would prevent them
from misrepresenting God, Your Holiness and the Catholic Church.
As it stands, the politicians of whom I speak are projecting an image to the people that they are good Catholics and good Christians. Someone - namely Your Holiness, must speak out regarding this mafler, beginning with the current governor of the State of Florida: Jeb Bush.
Sincerely
Frank Elijah Smith
(Death Row Prisoner, Florida)
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