I believe that the reason the death penalty continues to receive public support is because people view those on death row abstractly, as a group whose members are all essentially the same, a kind of sub-species of humanity. They are hidden, removed from our consciousness. When they are thought of at all, it is usually with a sense of loathing because the crimes for which they have been convicted have caused great suffering to the families of their victims.

This tendency to think in aggregate ways makes it easy, when an execution nears, to endorse popular sentiment and join the cry (even if by silence) to "hang him." It is when one looks beyond the group to see individuals that the issue gets troubling. When we meet a person on death row, we meet ourselves - we recognize a shared humanity. For death row is, of course, comprised of individual human beings. Each has his own story, his own unique history; each experiences the range of human feelings and emotions - sadness and joy, fear, sorrow, loneliness, hope - that are part of our own lives. And, yes, each person's story includes that terrible moment which brought him where he is and caused so much pain to others. But condemned though he may be, he retains his humanity. He remains bound to us, and we to him, by the deepest of bonds.

To the extent that this reality is denied, society is diminished. Every person has an inner life, a sacred center, an essential dignity which must not be violated. Despite our own brokenness, each of us knows we are better than the worst thing we have ever done.

Just as belief in the sacredness of every human life is central to civilized society, it is at the heart of all religious beliefs. That is why virtually every religious denomination has expressed strong opposition to the death penalty. Homicide is always intolerable, whether it is performed by an individual or by all of us acting together (as happens when executions are performed in our name.)

Our concern must extend beyond individuals to the larger society. State-inflicted execution is the most premeditated form of murder, mimicking the act we claim to deplore. It demeans and diminishes us. Trying to resolve problems through violence in this way is the opposite of what we teach children in our homes, schools, and religious institutions. The legitimate needs of justice can be satisfied without resorting to execution. This degrading practice should have no place in our violence-plagued society,

Over the years, I have expressed opposition to the death penalty in every conceivable way: letters to legislators and the governor, discussions with public officials, personal presentations, written essays, public vigils, and demonstrations. I believe these methods of dialogue and persuasion are a necessary part of the process through which change is accomplished in our society. These persistent grassroots efforts have been augmented by people in leadership positions who, like us, find capital punishment repugnant. For example, religious leaders (including Pope John Paul II) have recently issued new statements forcefully and unambiguously condemning capital punishment on moral grounds; and the American Bar Association has issued a stunning call for a moratorium on the death penalty (2/97) on the grounds that it is so seriously flawed in its administration that its continuation would be a gross miscarriage of justice.

But these reasonable appeals from highly respected sources have been studiously ignored. In fact, the governor and legislature of Pennsylvania, through laws designed to hasten the process, have demonstrated their resolve to proceed aggressively with executions. The state supreme court has become a partner in this effort through such things as elimination of the requirement that it conduct proportionality reviews before affirming death sentences, and the prospect is for a still worse situation ahead. As appeals are exhausted, the pace of executions will surely accelerate. Since we have the fourth-largest death row in the country, the specter of another Texas looms on Pennsylvania's horizon. That state's shameful pattern of execution cannot be permitted to happen here without vigorous opposition. Something more than we have done before is required.

I respect the rule of law and did not take this action lightly. I have taken care to act openly, to be scrupulously nonviolent in spirit and behavior, and to appear voluntarily before the Court in the hope of having the reasons for my action receive a thoughtful hearing. I acted in the honorable tradition of non-violent civil disobedience which has played a constructive