MAHONY ASKS DAVIS TO STOP EXECUTIONS.Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Cardinal Roger Mahony His Eminence Roger Michael Cardinal Mahony (born February 27, 1936) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the fourth Archbishop of Los Angeles, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1991. urged Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday to impose an immediate moratorium A suspension of activity or an authorized period of delay or waiting. A moratorium is sometimes agreed upon by the interested parties, or it may be authorized or imposed by operation of law. on executions, saying there was growing evidence that innocent men and women may be facing the death penalty. Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , announced his request, made to Davis in a faxed letter, during a speech at the National Press Club. ``I know Gov. Davis is very strong for the death penalty,'' said Mahony. ``But there are doubts about so many cases. We need to stop so the California justice system can be thoroughly assessed and the inequities, weaknesses and biases in the process can be revealed fully.'' Michael Bustamante, Davis' press secretary, said the governor had not had time to fully review Mahony's letter but added ``there is no reason to believe there is any problem with executions in California.'' Mahony cited the example of Illinois Gov. George Ryan For the former member of the Canadian House of Commons, see George Ryan (Canadian politician). George Homer Ryan (born February 24, 1934 in Maquoketa, Iowa) was the Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. , who temporarily halted executions in February after investigators, including a group of college students, proved the innocence of several men on the state's Death Row. All Illinois capital cases and legal procedures are now undergoing exhaustive reviews. Mahony did not cite any specific Death Row cases in California that he believes are flawed flaw 1 n. 1. An imperfection, often concealed, that impairs soundness: a flaw in the crystal that caused it to shatter. See Synonyms at blemish. 2. . Instead, he said the Illinois cases suggest the chance some residents of California's Death Row may have been incorrectly convicted. Bustamante said he was unfamiliar with the Illinois situation, but noted ``every death penalty case in California is heard by at least two juries and three judges before it ever gets to the governor. Gov. Davis would be hard pressed to run counter to the verdicts of those juries and the rulings of those judges.'' In his speech, Mahony said he hoped a moratorium would be the first step toward a ban on executions. He reiterated the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty, saying: ``I do not believe that society is made safer, that our communities are made whole, or that our social fabric is strengthened by killing those who kill others.'' Mahony also said he and the church are not opposed to life sentences without the possibility of parole for violent criminals. ``The state has an obligation to protect its citizens against dangerous persons,'' said Mahony. ``But people can change their ways and make positive contributions to society even in prison. The death penalty negates any chance for that to happen.'' The cardinal is in Washington this week to chair a meeting of the U.S. Catholic Conference Committee on Domestic Policy. Davis and Mahony clashed publicly over the death penalty in 1999, when the cardinal asked the governor to grant clemency Leniency or mercy. A power given to a public official, such as a governor or the president, to in some way lower or moderate the harshness of punishment imposed upon a prisoner. Clemency is considered to be an act of grace. - and a life sentence - to Jaturun Siripongs, who had been convicted of killing two people during a 1981 store robbery in Garden Grove Garden Grove, city (1990 pop. 143,050), Orange co., S Calif., a suburb of Long Beach and Los Angeles, on the Santa Ana River; founded 1877, inc. 1956. Many of its residents work in nearby aerospace and defense installations, and there is light manufacturing. . Davis denied the request and Siripongs, a Thai national who claimed he was innocent of the murders, was put to death by lethal injection  This article or section may deal primarily with the U.S. and may not present a worldwide view. Feb. 9, 1999. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty as it was enforced in most states on the grounds it was not being applied even-handedly. The ruling commuted the death sentences of California's Death Row inmates, including Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (born November 12, 1934) is a career criminal who led the so-called Manson Family, a commune or cult that began to form around him in the U.S. city of San Francisco in 1967. , who were given life terms instead. The Legislature restored capital punishment capital punishment, imposition of a penalty of death by the state. History Capital punishment was widely applied in ancient times; it can be found (c.1750 B.C.) in the Code of Hammurabi. in 1977 with a new death penalty law that passed constitutional muster. Executions resumed in 1992. Since then, eight inmates have been put to death. An additional 565 prisoners - 554 men and 11 women - await execution on the state's Death Row. The most recent California execution was that of Darrell Young Darrell Young (b. May 7, 1966 in Clackamas, Oregon U.S.) is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981-1988 and 1991 to 1994. Elk Rich, who was put to death by lethal injection March 15. Rich was sentenced to death in 1982 for the brutal 1978 murders of three women and an 11-year-old girl in Shasta County. He spent 18 years on Death Row appealing his sentence. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: In a National Press Club luncheon Thursday in Washington, D.C., Cardinal Roger Mahony spoke against the death penalty, asking for an immediate moratorium on executions because of mounting evidence that some Death Row inmates are innocent. Kamenko Pajic/Associated Press |
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