In the Catholic Church in the United States, pastoral statements are offered by individual bishops in particular dioceses, state Catholic conferences of bishops, regional synods of bishops, or the national conference (USCCB) when seeking to apply universal church teaching to particular circumstances or issues. In the case of the death penalty, U.S. bishops have often been strong anti-death penalty advocates for persons sentenced to be executed. The list below includes more recent pastoral and state conference statements relating to Catholic teaching on the death penalty and its application to particular laws and state-sponsored executions.
In early 2017, after sentence decisions were met for the infamous AME Church shooter, Dylann Roof, were made, Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone came out with a with a pastoral statement speaking about mercy, forgiveness and the Church's opposition to capital punishment. A part of Bishop Guglielmone's statement is read as follows:
In December 2016, Bishop Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, wrote a letter to his diocese urging all to advocate for the sacredness of all life. In it, he urges advocacy to see the abolition of the death penalty in Ohio. Also, Bishop Thomas calls on the Governor to end executions and support death penalty repeal legislation. In short, the letter says:
“Capital punishment vitiates our hearts’ capacity for mercy and love,” the bishops write, noting that “the death penalty not only does not correspond to the common good, it actually does great harm to it.”
In 2016, the Bishops of Mississippi and Alabama came out with a statement calling for an end to the death penalty in the state and for support to promote the dignity and sanctity of all life. At the time, there was a murder of two religious sisters which sparked nation-wide outrage and calls for capital punishment. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
In 2016, in response to the New Mexico Governor's statements supporting reinstating the death penalty, the Bishops of New Mexico came out with a strongly worded statement. In part, the statement reads:
In 2016, the Bishops of California came out with a statement calling for an end to the death penalty in the state and for support to promote the dignity and sanctity of all life. At the time, there were two Proposition Bills to be decided by the voters which dealt with the status of the death penalty in California. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
"During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we, the Catholic Bishops of California support Proposition 62 which would end the use of the death penalty in California.
In 2015, the Bishops of Nebraska came out with a statement calling for an end to the death penalty in the state and for support to promote the dignity and sanctity of all life. At the time, the fate of the death penalty in Nebraska was set as a referendum measure to be decided by a vote in the 2016 election. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
In 2015, Archbishop Sample came out with a statement calling for an end to the death penalty in the state and for support to promote the dignity and sanctity of all life. At the time, there was an Governor imposed moratorium on executions, effectively halting all death sentences while the Governor is in office. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
In 2015, the Bishops of Missouri came out with a statement calling for an end to the death penalty in the state and for support to promote the dignity and sanctity of all life. At the time, there was an increased number of executions which were taking place in Missouri rivaling other high-use states. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
"We, the Catholic bishops of Missouri, write this open letter to express grave concern with the rapid acceleration of executions in recent months.
In 2015, Archbishop Coakley came out with a statement calling for an end to the death penalty in the state and for support to promote the dignity and sanctity of all life. At the time, there was an Oklahoma court case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court challenging Oklahoma's death penalty. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
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