Montgomery, Ala., Mar 13, 2018 / 03:34 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As a death row inmate in Alabama sues the state over a botched execution last month, a Catholic advocacy group said the case emphasize inherent flaws in capital punishment itself.
“The events surrounding this execution attempt highlight the brokenness of the death penalty,” said Catholic Mobilizing Network, which works to end the death penalty. “The horrific violence that Doyle Lee Hamm experienced should serve as a poignant reminder of the need to end the death penalty once and for all.”
Doyle Lee Hamm, who was sentenced to death in 1987 after being convicted of murder and robbery, was scheduled to be executed on Feb. 22. Hamm, who is 61 years old, has spent about half of his life on death row.
Hamm is asking for his death sentenced to be vacated and to not be given another execution date. His lawyers are arguing that executing him now would be a violation of double jeopardy laws and would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
On his execution date, Hamm was strapped to a gurney for two and a half hours as prison medical officials were unable to find a suitable vein for the lethal injection. Hamm’s lawyers say they found 11 puncture wounds, including six in his groin area, following the execution attempt. The execution was halted shortly before midnight, when the death warrant was due to expire.
Hamm’s lawyer has indicated that they are looking to settle “in the near future.” Otherwise, the case would go to court in late October. It is uncertain if the settlement will include a prohibition on another execution date.
Previously, Hamm’s lawyers argued that his lymphatic cancer, as well as past intravenous drug use, had rendered his veins unusable for a lethal injection, and that attempting to do so would be “cruel and unusual punishment.” They, along with Hamm, had requested an “oral lethal injection” instead. This request was denied. Alabama uses lethal injection as its method of execution unless the electric chair is requested.
Catholic Mobilizing Network said in a statement to Catholic News Agency that there was “no justification for Alabama allowing this cruel and unnecessary execution attempt of Doyle Lee Hamm to take place,” and that the death penalty itself is broken and flawed.
Catholic Mobilizing Network’s sentiment was echoed by Griffin Hardy, communications manager for Sr. Helen Prejean, an anti-death penalty activist. Hardy described the execution attempt as completely unnecessary “barbarism,” and said that Alabama was being “reckless and inhumane” in their effort to execute a cancer patient.
“We hope that Alabama will abandon any future efforts to kill Mr. Hamm and reinstate his cancelled cancer treatments immediately,” said Hardy.
Alabama has executed 61 people since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. The most recent execution was in October 2017. There are 182 people currently on death row in Alabama.
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CNA Staff, Apr 24, 2020 / 05:13 pm (CNA).- As the Trump administration suspends immigration to stem the spread of coronavirus, the United States’ bishops encouraged global solidarity, saying the order promotes hostility instead.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order April 22 which would block a large portion of immigrants from accessing green cards.
“In this moment, our common humanity is apparent more now than ever. The virus is merciless in its preying upon human life; it knows no borders or nationality,” read an April 23 statement issued by Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of US bishops’ conference; Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration; and Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, chair of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
“The President’s action threatens instead to fuel polarization and animosity. While we welcome efforts to ensure that all Americans are recognized for the dignity of their work, the global crisis caused by COVID-19 demands unity and the creativity of love, not more division and the indifference of a throw-away mentality.”
The Migration Policy Institute reported that the order could block an estimated 52,000 green cards over the next 60-day period. The executive order may also be renewed after this period is over.
According to the order, the temporary halt to immigration will apply to those who “do not have an immigrant visa that is valid on the effective date of this proclamation” or “do not have an official travel document other than a visa that is valid on the effective date of this proclamation or issued on any date thereafter that permits him or her to travel to the United States and seek entry or admission.”
The order will not pertain to healthcare professionals, any member of the US military, minor children and spouses of US citizens, and those entering for national security reasons.
According to the New York Times, as of April 24, the coronavirus has infected over 2.7 million people and killed 186,832 people worldwide.
Numerous countries throughout the world have tightened restrictions on borders and traveling. In the past month, there have been several changes to the United States immigration system, including delays to immigration hearings and suspended refugee admissions, CNN reported.
The bishops expressed concerns that this order will not only negatively affect immigrants but religious workers as well. This order will be detrimental to the Church and other denominations, they further added.
“The proclamation prevents certain immigrant family members from reuniting with their loved ones living in the United States. Additionally, it bars religious workers seeking to come to the United States as lawful permanent residents from supporting the work of our Church, as well as many other religions, at this time,” they said.
“This will undoubtedly hurt the Catholic Church and other denominations in the United States, diminishing their overall ability to minister to those in need,” the bishops wrote.
The bishops emphasized the dignity of all people and said that immigrants are a positive influence on society.
“There is little evidence that immigrants take away jobs from citizens. Immigrants and citizens together are partners in reviving the nation’s economy. We must always remember that we are all sons and daughters of God joined together as one human family.”
“Pope Francis teaches us that to live through these times we need to employ and embody the ‘creativity of love,’” they said.
Douglas Ernst’s “Soulfinder” series of graphic novels follows the adventures of combat vets-turned-exorcists. / ICONIC Comics
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 20, 2022 / 05:00 am (CNA).
Father Patrick Retter kept his wits about him as he faced the giant, red-eyed cobra slithering out of the possessed woman’s mouth.
“In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti,” he chanted the Sign of the Cross in Latin, as he thrust a bottle of holy water at the demon.
The woman bit his hand with her teeth — emitting a loud crunch — but the priest kept going. Clutching his wooden cross, he declared, “I cast you and every satanic specter out — in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! It is he who commands you.”
So begins one of the many action-packed scenes in the “Soulfinder” graphic novel series about a fictional “special forces of exorcists” within the Catholic Church.
“‘Soulfinder’ is about a major order of combat veteran exorcists who are recruited to engage in spiritual warfare with a demon called Blackfire until the end of time,” Douglas Ernst, the writer and creator of the seriestold CNA.
The 42-year-old writer began the series to fill a void in today’s comic-book world — and in the culture.
“The heroes that I grew up reading are often unrecognizable because the creators at Marvel and DC are activists posing as serious storytellers,” he explained. “I created ‘Soulfinder’ because I wanted to give people solid stories and artwork that also imparts something good, true, and beautiful.”
Together with a team of artists — Timothy Lim, Brett R. Smith, Matthew Weldon, and Dave Dorman, to name a few — Ernst brings to life characters who dedicate themselves to serving God after serving their country. They apply their experience of fighting in the physical world to, now, battling in the spiritual realm.
The series is already saving souls, both inside and outside of its pages.
“I love it when someone writes me and says that reading the books brought them back to the Catholic Church after they drifted away,” Ernst revealed. “Perhaps they haven’t gone to Mass in years, but something in the stories rekindled the flame of faith.”
Stories of selfless service
A Catholic veteran himself, Ernst shares something in common with his protagonists. He served as a mechanized infantryman in the ‘90s, leaving before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He saw many of his friends go to war — and never return.
Ernst brings this background to his books, which follow the adventures of Retter (an Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran), Father Reginald Crane (a Vietnam veteran), and Detective Gregory Chua.
“My hope is that I’ve done right by the military community,” he said. “Selfless service and the willingness to lay down one’s life for another is a crucial component of the series.”
Ernst, who previously worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C., now splits his time between Reno, Nevada, and Missoula, Montana, while focusing on his graphic novels.
His first two — “Soulfinder: Demon’s Match” and “Soulfinder: Black Tide” — greet readers with vivid colors and rich Catholic symbolism. The second book, available in hardcover, shimmers with gilded pages — and even a glow-in-the-dark monster.
“Where are the Catholic creators who will attempt to pick up where G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien left off?” asks Douglas Ernst, the creator of the “Soulfinder” graphic novels. ICONIC Comics
There is a dramatic reality at the core of these works of fiction. The series illustrates Catholic priests not only as courageous heroes but also as imperfect human beings — men who may fall, but always pick themselves back up, driven by a desire to do the right thing. Along the way, their personality (and sense of humor) shines through the narrative.
Available through ICONIC Comics, the first two volumes also appear on AmazonKindle. In January, both made No. 1 on Amazon’s list of new releases in “Religious Graphic Novels.”
Inspired by Catholic writers
Ernst — who learned to read by devouring the adventures of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Daredevil, and Captain America as a boy — began his series after encountering mainstream comic books filled with moral relativism.
“Where are the Catholic creators who will attempt to pick up where G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien left off?” he asked. “That’s a tall task, but the culture will continue to drift into dangerous waters if Catholic writers and artists do not enter as many creative places as possible.”
Ernst shared what he did to prepare for the books, to ensure that they were theologically sound.
Being a “cradle Catholic” helped, he admitted, in addition to consulting with other Catholics, including a priest. His stories, he said, have been inspired by the works of St. Francis de Sales, Father Gabriele Amorth, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Siena, and others.
Ernst began the series after organizing a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. He also credits his success to working with talented artists and to Word on Fire, Bishop Robert Barron’s media ministry, which has featured his work in blog and YouTube interviews.
A ‘PG-13’ advisory
Teenagers and adults seeking classic storytelling with “good vs. evil” seem to enjoy Soulfinder, Ernst said of his series, which he rates as “PG-13.” This is because, among other things, the series addresses a dark subject matter.
In his first book with artist Timothy Lim, also a practicing Catholic, a black mass scene involves a naked woman.
“She is nude, but there’s shadows where there needs to be shadows,” Ernst pointed out the strategic shading over her body. “It’s also shown as a bad thing.”
While the series is for more mature readers, it offers content for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
“Most Catholic characters in modern comics and in Hollywood tend to be cartoonish version of the Faith,” he said.
His series, he emphasized, is different.
“It makes me incredibly happy when readers who are not Catholic say that these stories show a side of our faith that they have never encountered before.”
Third book on the way
Ernst told CNA the third installment of the series is in production.
“‘Soulfinder: Infinite Ascent’ takes our heroes to the other side of the world to apprehend a rogue member of the CIA who has evaded capture through supernatural means,” Ernst told CNA. “The U.S. government was so impressed with Father Retter and his friends regarding their success in ‘Soulfinder: Black Tide’ that it returns to them once again to clean up a global network of occultists.”
While there is no official release date yet, Ernst expects the book to be colored and lettered in March. From there, it will be sent to the printer.
“The story, at its core, focuses on the loss of loved ones, grief, and the need for forgiveness,” Ernst hinted. “The key to saving the day hinges on one character’s ability to forgive others for their trespasses against him.”
The volume will include a bonus story, “Soulfinder: War Cry,” which takes place at Arlington Cemetery.
In the end, Ernst hopes that these books will bring him, and his readers, closer to heaven.
“I know that one day I will stand before my Creator and I’ll have to give an account of what I’ve done with the talents I’ve been given,” he said. “I hope that my creative team has done its small part in saving souls while simultaneously entertaining readers.”
CNA Staff, Jun 17, 2020 / 12:54 am (CNA).- While most Catholic mothers pray for their teenage sons, Antonia Acutis has the unique ability to pray to hers, the soon-to-be-beatified Italian teenager Carlo Acutis.
Has the Catholic group noticed that the Trinity ..errr God…mandated stoning to the Jews for over 30 offenses which depending on your aim with a stone could go on for days. Modern version? It’s called firing squad folks. This effeminant attempt in drug executions should never have happened. An innocent person dying in a car accident in a burning inferno suffers more than a murderer who lived on unemployment for years ( prison)…while tax payers paid for his living there which South Sudan starving people would volunteer for. And our effeminant culture which includes the Catholic group mentioned just keeps on with the dumb overturning of the universal ordinary magisterium idea by three dissenting Popes desperate to impress the Nobel jury. Birth control has one passage in the Bible if Augustine was right and Jerome was wrong ( liverate obligation sin in Jerome’s view). The death penalty has over 33 affirming passages including Romans 13:4 by the Holy Spirit after Christ ascended. And it has hundreds of indirect support passages like Samuel executing Agag. But we have groups like the above who will never read the Bible….not ten % ….on their own time til they die. Heck Benedict gives evidence of not having read it in VD 42. We are in Rimbaud’s phrase….a “drunken boat”…in Ferlengheitti’s phrase…” a coney island of the mind”. There. I’ve said it…now for some black coffee to really get me going.
Has the Catholic group noticed that the Trinity ..errr God…mandated stoning to the Jews for over 30 offenses which depending on your aim with a stone could go on for days. Modern version? It’s called firing squad folks. This effeminant attempt in drug executions should never have happened. An innocent person dying in a car accident in a burning inferno suffers more than a murderer who lived on unemployment for years ( prison)…while tax payers paid for his living there which South Sudan starving people would volunteer for. And our effeminant culture which includes the Catholic group mentioned just keeps on with the dumb overturning of the universal ordinary magisterium idea by three dissenting Popes desperate to impress the Nobel jury. Birth control has one passage in the Bible if Augustine was right and Jerome was wrong ( liverate obligation sin in Jerome’s view). The death penalty has over 33 affirming passages including Romans 13:4 by the Holy Spirit after Christ ascended. And it has hundreds of indirect support passages like Samuel executing Agag. But we have groups like the above who will never read the Bible….not ten % ….on their own time til they die. Heck Benedict gives evidence of not having read it in VD 42. We are in Rimbaud’s phrase….a “drunken boat”…in Ferlengheitti’s phrase…” a coney island of the mind”. There. I’ve said it…now for some black coffee to really get me going.