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Moratorium on executions
Catholic hierarchy lauds government move
The government of the Philippines has imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in the country—a decision which the Catholic Church has greeted as a step forward.
“The country is leading the way toward a culture of life,” said Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the bishops’ conference, commenting on the news that on April 3, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo opted to suspend all executions of criminals in the country during her three-year term. Renato de Villa, presidential executive secretary, explained that the president has the authority to make such a change in policy unilaterally, since as the head of state she has the power to commute death sentences.
According to proponents of the death penalty, the president’s decision was heavily influenced by the Catholic hierarchy, in particular by Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila. But the bishops rejected that notion. “Such arguments,” Archbishop Quevedo said, “belittle the president, her freedom to make her own judgment in the light of her own conscience.” He added that the political posture of the president is not always in harmony with the teachings of the Church. “Although she said that natural family planning will be promoted in this country, the government still will also promote other forms of population planning,” he noted.
In fact, the Manila government soon called for increased emphasis on population control. According to the government’s State of the Philippines Population Report, the population will double to 150.6 million in about 35 years. “The big picture that emerges is cause for concern,” said the report, the first of a series looking into population and development. “This implies a very slow improvement in standards of living for at least two generations.”