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Transcript of Interview with Bishop
Gabino Zavala
Bishop Gabino Zavala. Bishop Zavala has been the Auxiliary Bishop for the
San Gabriel Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 1994. A native of Guerrero,
Mexico, Bishop Zavala grew up in Los Angeles and attended St. John’s Seminary.
He is a graduate from Catholic University of America with a degree in Canon Law.
 You can also listen
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S: For our faith tradition focus on Catholicism, we are speaking with Bishop
Gabino Zavala. Bishop Zavala is Auxiliary Bishop for the San Gabriel Region of
the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Welcome, Bishop Zavala.
Bishop: Thank you.
S: We are honored to have you as a participant in this Faith in Action Online
Event.
Bishop: I am very glad to be here.
S: I would like to start with you providing us with a general overview of the
perspective of Catholicism on the death penalty.
Bishop: As with many of our traditions and our teachings, over the years, as
we understand more, it has developed. At one time we as a Church gave the right
to the state to decide on the death penalty, the question of the death penalty
and so it was the state that had the right to put someone into death if they so
deemed it. But I think the position of the Church now is that the guiding principle
would be that every life is sacred and it doesn't matter if it's the life of an
elderly person, of a child, or of a criminal, every life is sacred. And so no
one has a right to take the life of another, even on behalf of the state. And
so that that's what we try to promote now, that the sacredness of life is something
that we have to promote.
S: Have any Catholic groups or organizations adopted an official position
on the death penalty?
Bishop: There are. There are a number of groups that really work to abolish
here in the United States the death penalty and are opposed to the death penalty.
One, which I am a member of, is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
A few years ago they came out on Good Friday with a pastoral letter where they
declared, where we declared our opposition against the death penalty for the reasons
that I have mentioned. There are other groups like Death Penalty Focus and religious
communities as well of men and women who have consistently spoken out against
the death penalty and whose efforts are at working to abolish the death penalty.
S: What is the Pope's position on the death penalty?
Bishop: The Pope has been very articulate, in fact more articulate than some
people would like him to be, against the death penalty. He has come out recently
in his visit…when he came to St. Louis he was very clear on speaking against
the death penalty and promoting life, and saying that as a community, the death
penalty diminishes us and so that we need to abolish that. He also, in his letter
Evangelium Vitae, where he talks about the gospel of life and within the context
of life he spoke against the death penalty. So he has been very articulate and
very clear in his opposition to the death penalty.
S: What do you see as the role of the Catholic faith community, particularly Catholic
faith leaders, in the movement to abolish the death penalty?
Bishop: Well I think one of the things the Catholic community needs to do,
and the Catholic leaders need to do, is that we as the Church need to express
wherever appropriate and wherever possible our stance against the death penalty.
We need to talk about it. A lot of people don't feel comfortable in doing this
but I think we need to, as the Pope says, preach the whole gospel of life. So
our leaders and our church needs to, in public forums and in public situations,
and with our own people as well as with others, share this gospel of life in opposition
to the death penalty.
S: How can we encourage more people who are active in faith communities to
become involved in the abolition movement?
Bishop: Well, I think, I think we can do this. First of all, the responsibility
is ours to educate our people. There are a number of our people who do not understand
what the church teaches them and sometimes it's not their fault because we have
not spoken, we do not speak to it as we should. And so we need to begin by educating
our people in our congregations and our parishes and our communities. We need
to motivate them also, so not only that we teach them what the church teaches
but how they are to live this out and how they themselves are to carry this message.
We need to get them involved in our social and political processes so that we
can work in abolishing the death penalty.
S: Thank you again for taking the time to share your important perspective
on this issue with us.
Bishop: My pleasure.
S: Do you have any parting words of encouragement or guidance for the activists
listening to this recording?
Bishop: Well I would just say to the activists that they need to know that
this, for us this is a very important issue, that we feel that if we are to promote
life, we need to promote it in every aspect in every situation. And that the death
penalty is something that does diminish us. It is not just that we put someone
to death but by putting someone to death for whatever reason we are diminishing
ourselves as a community. And so that they understand that they are not alone,
that there are number of people and groups that are really working very hard to
try to abolish the death penalty.
S: Thank you very much again.
Bishop: You're welcome.
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Two road signs near
the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, an execution site.
(© Scott Langley) |
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