Tennessee execution met with prayer, sadness, public witness

Published: 2006-07-03

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- As Sedley Alley became the second person in 46 years to be executed by the state of Tennessee, death penalty opponents, including the state's three Catholic bishops, met the news with sadness and prayer. Alex Wiesendanger, associate director of the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing and a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, helped organize a vigil at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, where Alley was executed early June 28. "The experience of being with so many prayerful people all there to support life and the power of forgiveness and love was deeply moving, and I hope I never have to do it again," he said. More than 100 men are currently sitting on Tennessee's death row, but none have imminent execution dates. After Alley's execution, the bishops of Tennessee expressed "our profound sadness" and prayed for the victims of violent crime and their families, as well as for Alley and his family.

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