THE COUNCIL
CITY OF NEW YORK

PROCLAMATION

Whereas:       The Council of the City of New York is proud to honor the Community of Sant’Egidio for its hard work and invaluable contribution to the movement for a worldwide moratorium of the death penalty; and

Whereas:       At the dawn of the twenty-first century, while more than half of the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, many nations still administer this cruel and barbarous sanction; and

Whereas:       The fallibility of the legal process, whether the decision is rendered by judge or jury, and the irrevocable nature of capital punishment denies any potential remedy to those wrongly convicted; and

Whereas:       Around the world, support is growing for “Moratorium 2000”, a campaign to obtain a moratorium on the death penalty in the United States and to apply pressure to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, where it is the biggest obstacle to a worldwide moratorium; and

Whereas:       Now comprising, over 30,000 members, in more than 35 countries around the world, The Community of Sant’Egidio was founded in 1968 in the wake of the Second Vatican Council; and

Whereas:       The Community of Sant’Egidio has transcended national, linguistic and cultural barriers in its effort to help conscientious voices around the world join together in rejection of the vengeful nature and cruel disposition of capital punishment; and

Whereas:       Along with its sister organizations in the moratorium campaign, Amnesty international and Moratorium 2000, the Community of Sant’Egidio collected nearly three million signatures in support of their petition; now, therefore

Be it known:  That the Council of the City of New York honors the

COMMUNITY OF SANT’EGIDIO

For its commitment to human rights and contributions to the Moratorium 2000 campaign.

Signed this 19th day of December in the year Two Thousand.
Bill Perkins, Margarita Lopez, Kathryn E.Freed, Council Members, Manhattan