Pastoral Statements

Bishops’ Committee Joins Call To End Life Sentences Without Parole For Children

- January 30, 2013 - WASHINGTON – A committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has endorsed the principles of a national campaign to end the practice of sentencing people under the age of 18 to life in... MORE

Pope Benedict Highlights Need for Broader View of Criminal Justice

Pope Benedict Highlights Need for Broader View of Criminal Justice

- November 22, 2012 - Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to Participants in the XVII Council of Europe Conference of Directors of Prison Administration Your Excellency, Deputy Secretary General, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am glad to be able to... MORE

Catholic Catechism Passages Relating to the Death Penalty

In 1997, due to a deepening theological awareness on the part of Catholic bishops and theologians, and, especially, because of a strong statement against the death penalty in his encyclical letter Evangelium vitae, Pope John Paul II ensured that the official... MORE

Bishops Welcome Repeal of Death Penalty in Connecticut

April 26, 2012 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) congratulated the Connecticut bishops, the Connecticut Catholic Conference, Catholic Mobilizing Network and all dedicated advocates against the death penalty for their work to bring about the repeal of... MORE

Priests for Life Statement on the Death Penalty

Priests for Life has come to signify two distinct but related movements within the wider pro-life movement. On one level, Priests for Life refers to a very specific effort to galvanize the clergy to preach, teach and mobilize their people... MORE

Pope Speaks Out for End to Death Penalty

Pope Speaks Out for End to Death Penalty

November 30, 2011 Today, “Pope Benedict XVI voiced support Wednesday for political actions around the world aimed at eliminating the death penalty, reflecting his stance as an opponent of capital punishment,” noted an Associated Press article – “Pope Seeks End to... MORE

Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Life Issues

Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Life Issues

From the Archdiocese of New Orleans (October 2010) In this video made for Respect Life Month, Archbishop Aymond reflects on issues of life including the distinction of human life above other life, abortion, euthenasia, and the death... MORE

Archbishop Wilton Gregory Speaks on the Death Penalty

In this video, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory asks Catholics to reflect on their own views of capital punishment and to join in the Church’s call for its abandonment in the State of Georgia and beyond. This video is part of... MORE

Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin Speaks on the Death Penalty

From the Texas Catholic Conference (2007) This video from the Texas Catholic Conference is a recording of Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin from 2007. He speaks of Jesus’ clarity on the call for compassion, justice and mercy rather than revenge.... MORE

Bishop Jaime Soto Public Service Announcement in Support of Proposition 34

Bishop Jaime Soto Public Service Announcement in Support of Proposition 34

September 24, 2012 The ordinary bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento, Bishop Jaime Soto, in conjunction with a recent announcement by the entire California Catholic Conference of Bishops, has released a public service announcement in support of Proposition 34, the... MORE