St. Columba Catholic Church
6401 San Pablo Avenue
Oakland, CA  94608

Open Letter to:
                                                                                     
Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez                                                                                                             September 16, 2020
President, of the USCCB,
Archbishop of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241
 
Dear Archbishop Gomez:
 
    As a pastor of a Black Catholic parish family in the Diocese of Oakland, I find it egregious that Attorney General William Barr is to be
the recipient of the Christifeles Laici Award at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast this year.   

    I strongly urge the leadership of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) to contact the leadership of the National
Catholic Prayer Breakfast and seek withdrawal of Mr. Barr’s nomination for this award as he is wholly unworthy of this recognition.  
This award is given to a Catholic who has shown outstanding faithfulness to the teachings of Christ and the Church. It is, therefore, unconscionable and scandalous that this recognition be given to William Barr who only two months ago reinstated the Federal death penalty
after a seventeen year discontinuance. Five men have already been executed and two more are scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection
on September 22nd and September 24th.  Attorney General Barr is to receive this award on September 23rd, the day between these two executions.  This is abhorrent and inconceivable to imagine.
 
    Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have condemned the use of the death penalty as wholly immoral, unnecessary and inadmissible.  
Under the direction of Pope Francis the Catechism of the Catholic Church was revised to state that, “the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
 
    Also, in the teaching document of the USCCB on the political responsibility of Catholics entitled, “Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship,” the US Bishops state, “our nation’s continued reliance on the death penalty cannot be justified…Because we have other ways to protect society that are  more respectful of human life.” To give this award to William Barr is an affront our Catholic belief in the sanctity of human life and a scandal to people of faith and good will who look to the Catholic Church for moral guidance especially in a time of national elections.
 
    I urge you, therefore, to voice your concern to the leadership of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and make clear that the Breakfast is not
in any way sanctioned or supported by the USCCB. Thank you for considering our request and for your consistent teachings that human life is
sacred and must be protected from the moment of conception until natural death.
 
Sincerely,
 
Fr. Aidan McAleenan, Pastor
 
CC: Most Reverend Michael Barber S.J.
        Parish Community of St. Columba Catholic Church, Oakland
        Faith in Action East Bay
        (Format of letter borrowed from Fr. Michael Bryant, Ph.D.)



Phone: 510.654.7600 / Fax: 510.654.7651   / Website: www.stcolumba-oak.com /  Email: [email protected]