Last week, I wrote about Cardinal O’Malley’s statement just days after the Boston Marathon bombing that he, as both a Catholic and Bostonian, is against seeking the death penalty against the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.
Today, a new poll suggests that his view is in the minority. From the Washington Post:
Overall, 70 percent of those surveyed say they support the death penalty for 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. While most Democrats and Republicans alike say they would support the death penalty for Tsarnaev, there are deep racial divisions on the matter, reflecting a common gap in public views of the death penalty itself.
An overwhelming majority, 74 percent, also supports trying suspect two in a civilian court, rebuffing suggestions from some, including at least one US Senator, that the suspect be stripped of his citizenship (is that even a thing?) and tried in a military tribunal.
With most denominations officially opposing the use of capital punishment, how will faith leaders approach this sensitive topic? Is the pain from Boston still too raw for a balanced conversation? And with the bombs exploding in Massachusetts, which outlawed the death penalty in 1984, will local preference have any standing in a federal case?
