On St. Thomas More, and death penalty

I share the dismay of my letter-writer Jim Devereaux (CR, Nov. 4), as to why Maryland’s St. Thomas More Society would give Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia its 2010 Man for All Seasons Award.

In addition to Devereaux’s objection, it must be noted that Justice Scalia advocates the execution of prisoners and that he consistently votes to limit the procedural safeguards of American law that attempt to provide some degree of assurance that we do not kill innocent people. Justice Scalia’s decisions do little to hinder the culture of death and violence.

Maryland’s St. Thomas More Society should look closer to home. It should honor one of the many Catholic lawyers in Maryland who work daily to comfort those afflicted with society’s burdens, and who strive, as the lawyer Thomas More did, to be God’s servant first.

Catholic Review

The Catholic Review is the official publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.