This is the recent interview with Nick Gillespie. I'm Billy Binion, guest hosting for Nick.

Today's guest is Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun famous for her activism against the death penalty.

In the early 1980s, Prejohn met a prisoner on death row, Elmo Patrick Sonnier, after an activist asked her to write him a letter.

She served as Sonier's spiritual advisor and accompanied

him to his death, which inspired her work against capital punishment. Her 1993 book,

Dead Man Walking, then inspired a movie starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy

Award for her portrayal of Pejan. Jake Heggy and Terence McNally also created a highly regarded

opera of the same name.

I spoke with Prejean about growing up in the segregated South, her opposition to the death penalty,

how she connects with crime victims, and her response to Christians who still believe capital punishment is just.

And now, to the reason interview with Sister Helen Prejean.

Sister Helen Prejean, thank you for talking to a reason.

I am very happy to be here because I understand you're not only big into reasoning,

but you also have a little music in your life,

like opera or classical music.

Well, you do your research.

Yes.

So my first, my first, Pat, my first career was I sang in the chorus at an opera company in Virginia

after studying music and have always loved music.

And they made an opera after

you, actually. And I'm sure some of my former opera singer friends were going to absolutely

die that we're talking. Well, it was at the New York man in September. I mean, they reached

...