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.
This statement was originally published in the Salt Lake Tribune on January 20, 2022.
"As the shepherd of Utah’s roughly 330,000 Catholics, I am called to raise my voice in the public square to protect the sanctity and dignity every human life, including those who some may think are undeserving.
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson appeals to the conscience of all humanity and asks our federal government to halt the upcoming executions within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute.
The resuming of federal executions, scheduled from July 13 to August 28, to be carried out in Terre Haute, Indiana, falls within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
"Each person is created by God in his image and likeness, and the dignity that flows from God’s creative act cannot be removed by the actions of any person, no matter how bad, no matter how hurtful."
In support of a strong innocence claim and in alignment with the Church's stance against the death penalty, the Florida Bishops issued a statement urging Governor Ron DeSantis to halt the execution of James Dailey on November 7, 2019.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City released this statement for October's Respect Life Month. He addresses the importance of human dignity in all circumstances, with an emphasis on the death penalty in his statement.
The Indiana Bishops, Charles C. Thompson, Kevin C. Rhoades, Timothy L. Doherty, Joseph M. Siegel, and Michael J. Yardon issued a statement on October 4, 2019 calling on the federal government, particularly President Trump, to rescind the decision to resume federal executions after a 16 year moratorium.
The Missouri Bishops issued a statement in response to the planned execution of Russel Bucklew on October 1 and the reinstatement of federal executions.
Tennessee Bishops Spalding, Stika, and Talley released a statement condemning the scheduled August 15 execution of Stephen Michael West.
On Monday, May 20, 2019, as a sign of solidarity and commitment to ending the death penalty and upholding the sanctity of all human life, the Florida Catholic Conference of Bishops sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis urging him to halt the execution of Robert Long, scheduled for Thursday, May 23, 2019.
Read an excerpt of the letter below:
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