Tennessee underwent legislation which sought to exclude those with severe mental illness from the death penalty. The Bishops expressed their support for this type of legislation and Jennifer Murphy, Director of the Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission, eloquently stated the collective Catholic opinion in an op-ed piece, part of which is found here:
The Minnesota Catholic Conference upholds the teachings of Pope John Paul II on the death penalty and supports Minnesota's decision to abolish it. Their 2017 legislative principle states:
"Pope John Paul II stated that the death penalty has no place where alternatives are available to protect society. Minnesota made a similar judgment when it abolished the death penalty in 1911. This policy has served us well and we must retain it."
The New York Catholic Conference strongly oppose the death penalty and believe New York should legislatively abolish the death penalty. They oppose it on the premise that the death penalty is unnecessary in today's society. A portion of their statement says:
In 1999, the Catholic Conference of Michigan, in a strongly worded statement, expressed their definitive stance against capital punishment. A portion of the text is the following:
“All Christians and people of good will are thus called today to fight not only for the abolition of the death penalty, whether legal or illegal, and in all its forms, but also in order to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the people deprived of their freedom” - Pope Francis #Pledge4Mercy
CMN’s Mercy in Action Project seeks to promote clemency for those facing imminent execution. By joining the Mercy in Action Project you will receive monthly alerts with information on upcoming executions and tools to advocate for clemency in those cases as well as prayerful resources. Join us as we save lives on death row! The Mercy in Action Project is being partially supported by a grant from The Consistent Life Network, an international pro-life, pro-peace coalition.
