The Federal Death Penalty: What All Catholics Need to Know
Learn about the opportunities and challenges surrounding federal death penalty abolition and find out ways you can take action.
Respect Life
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Prisoner #16670 of Auschwitz
Today is the feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, patron saint of prisoners and the pro-life movement, and the victim of a state-sponsored execution. There's
EWTN News In Depth: Catholics Urge Federal Death Penalty Abolition
EWTN’s Kate Scanlon speaks with Syl and Vicki Schieber, who suffered the violent murder of their daughter, Shannon, yet hold true to the teachings of the church and reject the death penalty.
She also interviews CMN Executive Director Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, to hear their hopes for death penalty abolition at the federal level.
Racism and the Death Penalty: Compounding Systems of Dehumanization
The modern death penalty system in the U.S. arose from our nation's ugly histories of slavery, lynching, and racial violence. To this day, capital punishment is unfairly applied based on race and remains the most punitive practice within a infamously racist criminal legal system.
Death Penalty Resources for Educators
Download CMN's collection of resources and activities about capital punishment geared toward use by Catholic educators.
"Killing in Our Name": Federal Executions and Pro-Life Witness
Watch a recording of the Jan. 2021 virtual public dialogue featuring Bishop Daniel Flores, CMN's Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Sr. Helen Prejean, CSJ, and Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr.
U.S. Bishop Chairmen Speak Out Against Sept. 2020 Federal Executions
(Washington, DC) Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement in response to the federal executions scheduled this week:
Video Reflection from Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
This 7-minute video reflection by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas was recorded on the occasion of the federal government's execution of Keith Dwayne Nelson on August 28, 2020.
In this moving testimony, Archbishop Naumann shares about his own experience as the son of a murder victim and affirms the Church's resounding call to end the practice of capital punishment.
A Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty
Please enjoy this prayer from our friends at Education for Justice, written by Bill Griffin, CFX & Katherine Feely, SND.
A Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty
Gracious God, Source of all Life,You bestow your life and love on each of us and call us to be a just and merciful people.Guide our efforts to work for justice in our legal system.
Recording Archive: Virtual Prayer Vigils for Federal Executions
Watch the recorded Virtual Prayer Vigils held in lamentation of the federal government's 2020 restart of federal executions after a 17-year hiatus.