John Paul opposed the death penalty

In a column in the NY Times, Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, thanks John Paul for reversing the

teaching of the Catholic Church upholding the right of the state to execute criminals "in cases of extreme gravity" [which] had been in place for 1,600 years.

But that's precisely what the pope did: he removed from the Catholic catechism the criterion "in cases of extreme gravity." The omission changes everything, because Catholic teaching now says that no matter how grave the crime, the death penalty is not to be imposed. This cuts the moral ground out from under American politicians who advocate the death penalty for the "worst of the worst criminals."

The quantum change in the catechism took place in September 1997, and in 1999 when the pope visited St. Louis, he uttered words of opposition to the death penalty that could not have been more uncompromising:

"A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil."

This doesn't seem to me to be a very strong statement, but she claims

The effects of the pope's leadership will be felt for years to come, both in the highest echelons of the Catholic hierarchy and among the Catholic faithful in the pews. Whereas polls once showed that American Catholics supported the death penalty about as much as other Americans, they now show that support for the death penalty among Catholics has fallen below 50 percent. Just last month, Catholic bishops in the United States inaugurated a vigorous educational campaign to end the death penalty.

She says that 9 months before his statement she had written a letter to the Pope that included the following.

"Surely, Holy Father, it is not the will of Christ for us to ever sanction governments to torture and kill in such fashion, even those guilty of terrible crimes. … I found myself saying to them: 'Look at me. Look at my face. I will be the face of Christ for you.' In such an instance the gospel of Jesus is very distilled: life, not death; mercy and compassion, not vengeance."

How can George Bush and his supporters on the religious right think otherwise?