From News Services
Tuesday, October 21, 1997; Page A13

The Roman Catholic Church, shocked by an unprecedented number of executions in Texas this year, urged the state yesterday to abandon the death penalty.

All 21 of the state's Catholic bishops said in a statement that Texas was "usurping the sovereign dominion of God over human life" and thereby contributing to "a climate of violence."

"We sympathize with the profound pain of the victims of brutal crimes. Nevertheless, we believe that the compassionate example of Christ calls us to respect the God-given image found even in hardened criminals," they said.

So far in 1997, 31 men have been executed in Texas, the highest number in the state's history and by far the most in the United States.

The bishops said the death penalty was not a deterrent to crime, had racist overtones and costs millions of dollars.

The bishops urged citizens to contact elected officials to change the law to get rid of the death penalty. They said, "It is unfortunate that a large majority of Americans, including Catholics, support capital punishment as a means of dealing with crime."

A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. George W. Bush, a death penalty supporter, said, "Texas law says that those convicted of the most horrible crimes are subject to the death penalty and Governor Bush is committed to upholding the law of Texas."

Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, a divided Florida Supreme Court upheld use of the state's electric chair as neither cruel nor unusual, clearing the way for a resumption in executions after a seven-month hiatus. The 74-year-old chair has not been used since March, when a foot-long flame shot out of an inmate's face mask during an execution.