Episcopal priest on prison ministry: ‘God’s justice is very much tied up with God’s mercy’

Kelly Gissendaner is set to die by lethal injection tonight for arranging the murder of her husband, Doug Gissendaner, in 1997.  

Last week, the State Board of Pardons and Parole denied clemency for Gissendaner.

On “A Closer Look,” WABE’s Denis O’Hayer and Rose Scott spoke with Rev. Cathy Zappa, an Episcopal priest who works with some of Georgia’s female inmates and has worked with Kelly Gissendaner. Zappa is also the Canon for Spirituality and Mission at the Cathedral of St. Phillip here in Atlanta.

Broadcast version of Part 1 of “A Closer Look” interview with Rev. Cathy Zappa.

A continuing education certificate program in theological studies is offered at the women’s prison, and Kelly Gissendaner is a graduate. Rev. Zappa talked about her sometimes-conflicted feelings for Gissendaner and about what she might say to Doug Gissendaner’s parents and the couple’s children, “who are also victims of that crime.”

Nonetheless, Zappa said, she opposes the execution of Kelly Gissendaner because it precludes all possibility of a future reconciliation.

Broadcast version of Part 2 of “A Closer Look” interview with Rev. Cathy Zappa.

To read the statement from Doug Gissendaner’s family, click here.

Many women in prison, “know the Bible better than I do,” Rev. Zappa said.  

She told us she does not view herself as a missionary to the prisoners, but rather, someone “to be there for them” on their individual journeys. Wrestling with concepts of justice and mercy is work that Zappa embraces.

“God’s justice is very much tied up with God’s mercy,” said Zappa, who says the prison ministry draws non-believers as well as devout Christians.

To hear the entire interview with Rev. Zappa, click below:

Complete interview with Rev. Cathy Zappa on “A Closer Look.”

Zappa expects to speak with Kelly Gissendaner prior to her execution in Jackson, Georgia, tonight at 7.