William Wilberforce, a model of persistence and perseverance, campaigned in the British Parliament for nearly 20 years to abolish the slave trade in Britain. He was known for his eloquence and charm, and was first elected to the Parliament at the age of 21. There, he served as a young backbencher, with little direction, until after a Christian conversion in 1785.

Two years later, he became aware of the horrendous conditions of slave trade vessels. In some ships, the slaves were shackled to wooden pallets, laid prone and stacked six high with just enough room to slide in and out. They remained that way for hours, days and weeks, sometimes lying next to bodies dead and decaying.

He was appalled, and every year, for 20 years, he introduced a bill to abolish the slave trade. Every year it failed until, with public sentiment finally changing, he was successful in February of 1807. But this effort did not abolish slavery in England. It merely stopped the capture and transport of slaves. He understood small victories were better than none. One bill merely limited the number of slaves per ship.

Slavery was not abolished until July 26, 1833. Wilberforce, who had been in poor health for many years, witnessed the historic event three days before he died.

We can learn many lessons from a great leader like William Wilberforce. He was sickened by the treatment of the slaves and yet he understood the emotional and financial bonds holding the slave trade together. Supporters of slavery were adamant that the economy would be in ruin without free labor. The shipping industry and ports would be hurt badly.

He was also criticized for having more interest in the mistreatment of slaves on the ships than the slaves right under his nose. He held fast through the criticism and achieved his objective one step at a time. An amazing diplomat, he was highly respected by his colleagues for his abiding courage and conviction. They referred to him as “the conscience of Parliament.”

As Catholics in the public square, we should be inspired by the story of Mr. Wilberforce. We are called by our Catholic teachings to take on the difficult issues. The priorities of the Montana Catholic Conference are beginning to take shape for the next legislative session. Some legislation was not passed last session and we will work on it again.

Abolition of the death penalty is near the top of the list as we have a very good chance to pass a bill next session. More and more politicians, corrections officials and officers of the law are speaking out on the failure of the death penalty to deter crime. Many families, who have suffered losses in violent crimes, are speaking out against the death penalty. Studies have proven the cost to execute is much higher than the cost to incarcerate. More than all that, we cheapen life when we summarily dismiss any life as having no value.

Starting this spring and continuing into the legislative session of 2009, we will bring representatives from law enforcement, victims’ families, and those who were convicted and later exonerated of their crimes, to Montana to share their experiences regarding the death penalty. We hope these very generous people will help us to understand the failings of the system.

If your social justice committee would like to host one of these events (no cost, maybe a few cookies and some coffee), please contact us. Our calendars are open and we welcome the invitation to bring these very special people in to answer the difficult questions.

This is an emotional issue, but through persistence, and with good information to guide us, we can abolish the death penalty in Montana. And we will.

Moe Wosepka is the executive director of the Montana Catholic Conference. You can reach him at 442-8412, e-mail director@montanacc.org or check out the website montanacc.org. Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 24, No. 1, January 18, 2008.