On the Action by Gov. Roy Cooper to Commute 15 North Carolina Death Row Sentences

Press Statement
By Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network

On the Action by Gov. Roy Cooper to Commute 15 North Carolina Death Row Sentences

Today’s decision by Gov. Roy Cooper is an unprecedented advancement in the ongoing shift away from the death penalty in North Carolina and a tremendous step toward honoring human dignity and the sacred value of every human life. We celebrate this action and see it as another concrete sign of change that reflects the growing opposition to the death penalty across the United States.

As we Catholics embark on this special year of Jubilee 2025 where we are called to be pilgrims of hope, we are heartened by this merciful action. Pope Francis said in his Bull of Indiction announcing Jubilee 2025 that Catholics should “be one in demanding dignified conditions for those in prison, respect for their human rights and above all the abolition of the death penalty, a provision at odds with Christian faith and one that eliminates all hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation.” By commuting these death sentences to life without parole, Gov. Cooper has given each of these 15 individuals a tangible sign of hope and a chance for rehabilitation.

As Catholics, we believe each person is created in God’s image, no matter the harm one has caused or suffered. While we celebrate today’s move toward an end to the death penalty in North Carolina, we continue to pray for those who remain on death row. Our national network will continue to advocate the clear teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states unequivocally that “the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,’ and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.” (2267)

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Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Catholic Mobilizing Network is a national organization that mobilizes Catholics and people of goodwill to end the death penalty, advance justice solutions in alignment with Catholic values and promote healing through restorative justice approaches and practices. For more information, visit catholicsmobilizing.org.