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.
10 years ago on December 17, 2007, New Jersey was the first state in 40 years to abolish the death penalty. Read the statement below from New Jersey Bishops commemorating this important anniversary.
A Statement by the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey
On May 3, 2017 Bishop Francis Malooly from the Diocese of Wilmington wrote a strongly worded letter urging the General Assembly of Delaware to reconsider a new proposition that would reinstate the death penalty.
To this end, we must ask ourselves whether or not there is vengeance in our hearts. In many ways that which we fear–violence itself–has forced us to become proponents of violence. Just as the pursuit of justice should never be perverted by vengeance, fear should never darken the ever-shining light of life.
In 2017, the Bishops of Mississippi 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 bill being debated in the legislature which sought to add alternative methods of execution. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
In 2017, the Bishop of Arkansas, Bishop Taylor, came out with a statement to the Governor 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 8 executions planned in the span of 11 days, the most planned in American history. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
In 2017, the Bishops of Nevada 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 bill being debated in the legislature which sought to repeal the death penalty. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
In 2017, the Bishops of Montana 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 bill being debated in the legislature which sought to repeal the death penalty. A portion of the statement is read as follows:
In early 2017, the Bishops of Virginia co-wrote a statement which was distribute state-wide. In the statement, the Bishops express a restatement of their position on the death penalty in Virginia. This statement was made in the midst of multiple scheduled executions. The statement reads as follows:
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:
“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.
