Since 1992 the Innocence Project, an American legal charity, has used DNA evidence to help exonerate 271 people who were wrongly convicted of crimes, sometimes after they had served dozens of years in prison. But a mystery has emerged from the case reports. Despite being innocent, around a quarter of these people had confessed or pleaded guilty to the offences of which they were accused.
Many churches, especially around the New York City and Washington DC areas are planning special services for Sunday, September 11 which is the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. Here are some resources. What will your church be doing?
Sometimes people think that religion grants us a “get out of jail free” card when it comes to unethical practices. It allows us to shift the blame – “I’m not sexist – God is: read your Bible” or “I’m not sexist – the Catholic church is, but we can’t change until it does”. I see this as a perversion of the radical equality that we find in the gospel of Christ. I am grieved that the church, of all institutions, is the one that compromises justice and equality.
UPDATED – see below
The Rt. Rev. Henry Parsley, Bishop of Alabama and former Chancellor of the University of the South, Sewanee, TN went on
All three of today’s readings are stories of the dirty muck of power and politics. If you thought you’d mind your own business today, retreat into the private purity of your sanctuary, turn off the TV, ignore the newspaper, read the scriptures, and simply pray the Daily Office… Gotcha.