Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington (D.C.)

Washington, D.C.—As convicted killer Scott Peterson familiarizes himself with death row at California’s San Quentin Prison, his sentence and those of more than 3,400 other condemned convicts in the U.S. are spurring a new effort by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to try to bring an end to the death penalty.

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, leader of the Washington, D.C. archdiocese, told reporters at the National Press Club Monday that the “Catholic campaign will work to change the debate and decisions on the use of the death penalty: building a constituency for life, not death.

The campaign, he said, will call “on our lawmakers to lead, not follow; to defend life, not take it away ...”

Although McCarrick said the USCCB has opposed the death penalty for 25 years, the new effort “brings greater urgency and unity, increased energy and advocacy, and a renewed call to our people and to our leaders to end the use of the death penalty in our nation.”

According to McCarrick, the campaign will “educate - in our parishes and schools, universities and seminaries.

“We need to share Catholic teaching with courage and clarity,” he said, “reaching out to those who teach our children, write our textbooks, form our priests, and preach in our pulpits.”

A USCCB press packet Monday included a brochure explaining the church’s teaching, statements from various bishops, a lesson plans for Catholic schools, and “tools for advocacy.”

“The Catholic campaign will act - with continued advocacy in the Congress and state legislatures, in our legal briefs and before the courts,” McCarrick said.

As of January 1, there were 3,455 inmates on death row in various prisons around the country, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Scott Peterson, convicted of killing his wife and unborn son in a trial that drew daily coverage on television and in print, was sentenced to death and began confinement at San Quentin over the weekend.

But Bill Ryan, USCCB deputy director of communications, told Cybercast News Service Monday that the campaign was not being driven by one single, recent event.

“[The USCCB] became aware that sentiment is changing in the Catholic community about the death penalty and they decided that this might be a good time to really capitalize on that,” Ryan explained. He added that “since the pope and the bishops have spoken, it would be a good time to follow through.”

Pope John Paul II has, over the many years of his papacy, made several written requests for certain convicts to be spared the death penalty, Ryan said. “And there have been a number of occasions when individual Catholic bishops have made such appeals, or the bishops as a body have made such appeals.”

But the Catholic bishops are encouraged, in part from the polling conducted by John Zogby of Zogby International, who indicates that fewer than half of all Catholics currently support the death penalty. That is “down substantially from past years,” according to the USCCB website.

“In past surveys,” said Zogby at the press conference, “Catholic support for the death penalty was as high as 68 percent.” Zogby said his November 2004 survey showed that 48 percent now say they support the death penalty.

Ryan speculated that the dramatic change of opinion among Catholics may be due to “the statements of the Holy Father and the bishops,” but he added, “I don’t think there’s any doubt that they’ve also been affected by stories about people being exonerated by DNA evidence and things of that sort.”

The USCCB may find it difficult to convince state government officials, even Democrats who traditionally have been more inclined to oppose capital punishment. In a June 2002 statement, Virginia Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, declared “that some crimes are so heinous and some killers so dangerous, that justice demands imposition of the death penalty.”

He did add that he believes “the death penalty must be applied in a fair and decent manner.”

New York Republican Gov. George Pataki signed the death penalty into law in his state in March 1995 after using the issue to defeat Democratic incumbent Mario Cuomo in the 1994 election.

“By reinstating the death penalty, we sent a loud and clear message that New York State will not tolerate brutal and heinous criminal acts in New York State,” Pataki reiterated in a June 2001 statement.

New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson also supports the death penalty. He was quoted in a January 2003 Albuquerque Journal report declaring his support for capital punishment “for the most heinous crimes.

“I’ve always done that as a member of Congress,” Richardson said, “and that is my view.” He also reportedly said safeguards need to be in place to make sure the death penalty is applied fairly.