Bishop’s Statement on NH State Senate Vote to Table the Repeal of the Death Penalty in New Hampshire

The Rt. Reverend A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, has issued the following statement on the New Hampshire State Senate vote on HB 1170:

“My heart grieves that the Senate has voted for the time being to perpetuate the escalating thirst for revenge in our culture.   Today’s vote feels a bit like Pontius Pilate washing his hands of the situation. This will be an especially painful Good Friday.  As we recount the unspeakable brutality visited on Jesus, we will be reminded how much we are all complicit in the violence that infects our hearts. We will continue to work and pray for a less violent society.”