In the Catholic Church in the United States, pastoral statements are offered by individual bishops in: dioceses, state Catholic conferences, regional synods, or the national conference (USCCB). In the case of the death penalty, U.S. bishops have been strong anti-death penalty advocates.

Catholic Bishops Welcome Change in Catechism Calling for Abolition of the Death Penalty

Following the publication of the revised section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the death penalty, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, welcomed the change and echoed the call to end the death penalty in the United States.

USCCB President has written a letter to every U.S. senator urging them to not to make support for Roe v. Wade into a "litmus test" for judicial nominees

"There is no doubt that the Catholic Church stands out for its commitment to the right to life from conception until natural death. This ethic has profound consequences not only for abortion, but for many other areas of life, including the death penalty, the application of scientific research to human subjects, the right to adequate health care, and the role of the state in promoting the common good. Our civil society will be all the poorer if Senators, as a matter of practice, reject well-qualified judicial nominees whose consciences have been formed in this ethic."

USCCB Chairman Calls For Arkansas To Abandon Scheduled Death Row Executions

"It can be very difficult to think of mercy at a time when justice for unthinkable crimes seems to cry out for vengeance," Bishop Dewane commented, "[t]he harm and pain caused by terrible sin is real." Yet, he invoked Pope Francis' reflection that, "Jesus on the cross prayed for those who had crucified him: 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do' (Lk. 23:34).  Mercy is the only way to overcome evil.  Justice is necessary, very much so, but by itself it is not enough. Justice and mercy must go together."

USCCB States Recommitment to Bishops' Campaign to End the Death Penalty

In the middle of 2015, the two chairmen of the Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development and on Pro-Life Activities co-authored a joint statement stating a recommitment and reminder of the campaign to end the death penalty that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops instituted 10 years prior. A portion of the statement reads:

Pages