TV mass for Louisiana death row man [CN-USA]

[Catholic_Press]

The state of Louisiana and the ACLU Foundation have filed a federal court agreement that will allow a death-row inmate, Donald Lee Leger Jr., at Angola to watch televised masses.

The ACLU, on behalf of Leger, and the state Attorney General’s Office also filed a joint motion asking the federal District Court in Baton Rouge to dismiss Leger’s lawlawsuit against the state, The Advocate reports.

Leger, sentenced to die in the 2001 shooting death of Troy Salone, 35, at his home near Franklin, claimed in his lawsuit that prison officials unfairly limited Sunday television services on death row to Baptist or Pentecostal services.

More…

 

[didymus]

The state of Louisiana and the ACLU Foundation have filed a federal court agreement that will allow a death-row inmate, Donald Lee Leger Jr., at Angola to watch televised masses.

The ACLU, on behalf of Leger, and the state Attorney General’s Office also filed a joint motion asking the federal District Court in Baton Rouge to dismiss Leger’s lawlawsuit against the state, The Advocate reports.

Leger, sentenced to die in the 2001 shooting death of Troy Salone, 35, at his home near Franklin, claimed in his lawsuit that prison officials unfairly limited Sunday television services on death row to Baptist or Pentecostal services.

More…

Good!
I’m surprised they had to be sued, it seems like a rather obvious issue.

 

[Evangel]

prison officials unfairly limited Sunday television services on death row to Baptist or Pentecostal services.

I wouldn’t be surprised if prison officials (who are coincidentally Baptist and Pentecostals?) were in fact trying to save him from “Romanism” … in a somewhat ham-handed manner.

 

[opiemuyo]

:bigyikes: You mean the ACLU does something other than tear down crosses?

 

[Georgia]

I wouldn’t be surprised if prison officials (who are coincidentally Baptist and Pentecostals?) were in fact trying to save him from “Romanism” … in a somewhat ham-handed manner.

I would bet you are right on that.

In country towns that are usually surrounding Southern prisons, many people hold quite distorted views of what the Church believes. Guards are drawn from the populations of the nearby communities that are often loaded with fundamentalist churches.

They often think of the Church as barely Christian, if at all Christian. The guards may think they are doing the right thing to get this person saved.

 

[BobCatholic]

:bigyikes: You mean the ACLU does something other than tear down crosses?

I’m surprised the ACLU actually did this. I didn’t think they knew what freedom of religion meant.

 

[Tsuwano]

I would bet you are right on that.

In country towns that are usually surrounding Southern prisons, many people hold quite distorted views of what the Church believes. Guards are drawn from the populations of the nearby communities that are often loaded with fundamentalist churches.

They often think of the Church as barely Christian, if at all Christian. The guards may think they are doing the right thing to get this person saved.

This probably isn’t the case regarding Angola State Penitentiary. Catholics are rather numerous in the area surrounding Angola and the Church has always had a strong presence in the prison. Catholics serve as custodians in the prison and there have been Catholic wardens in the past. Angola, though not far from the Mississippi State line, is located in the southern half of the State where Catholics predominate. In fact, the nearest town is called St. Francisville. I’m sure this case was merely ignorance on the part of the prison officials and seems to have been easily rectified.

 

[Feanor2]

:bigyikes: You mean the ACLU does something other than tear down crosses?

The ACLU is not all bad- this is right wing propaganda. They take up any and all cases of civil liberties- both of very liberal and very conservative Christian causes.

It is strange to look up some of the cases they have represented- that’s for sure!