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Vatican criticizes Hamilton County Prosecutor's death penalty comments

105 views · Published 28 August 2018 · 1:11 · Indexed 30 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2018 · News & Politics

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HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters finds himself at odds with the catholic church over the death penalty.

This comes after Deters said the pope is wrong about the death penalty.

That prompted a response from the Vatican.

After the recent re-sentencing of serial killer Anthony Kirkland Deters said there is evil in the world and seeking the death penalty is necessary in some cases.

While the trial was going on Pope Francis declared capital punishment in all cases is an attack on the dignity of the person.

Father St. Xavier High School graduate and now Vice Director of The Vatican Observatory Paul Mueller said that he was disappointed and embarrassed by Deter's comments. Deters is also a graduate of St. Xavier High School.

A letter from father Paul Mueller, a graduate of Saint Xavier High School who is now vice director of the Vatican Observatory.

The letter to Deters also says it is unacceptable to make use of the evil of the death penalty and that the an antidote would be for Deters to have a chat with a good confessor.

Monday afternoon Deters had a response.

 "I'm just kind of taken aback that in the priority of things that are going on in the church in America that you would worry about what some little prosecutor in Cincinnati had to say about the death penalty. I mean there's a lot of problems going on in the church right now," Deters commented.

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