By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Curtis Beasley will be executed by the State of Florida on September 29th. Mr. Beasley was convicted of the first-degree murder of Carolyn Monfort in 1995. We mourn the tragic death of Mrs. Monfort, and we feel sorrow for the terrible suffering her family has had to live with ever since. May they find comfort in God. Indeed, the Church remains available to assist them with pastoral care.
Mr. Beasley’s murder of an older woman who had given him hospitality was heinous. Justice demands severe punishment. Nevertheless, God still loves the unlovely sinner and requires us to desire their good even as we punish. This call is not because of sympathy for the criminal but on the love of God for sinners and the unalienable value of human life.
The Catholic bishops of Florida recently made precisely this point in a pastoral letter on the death penalty.
In that pastoral letter, the bishops remind us that every human life, given by God, is sacred. As Saint John Paul II wrote, “Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity” (Evangelium Vitae, 9).
It is possible both to uphold justice and to exercise mercy by commuting his sentence to life without parole.
Note: Read the release from the Florida Catholic Bishops urging Governor DeSantis to stay execution of Curtis Beasley HERE.
