Death Penalty
The Latest
Supreme Court overturns death penalty for man with intellectual disability
In a ruling released Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the death penalty sentence of a Texas inmate whom... Read more
Bishops ask Supreme Court to hear case on racism in death sentencing
Three U.S. bishops have called on the Supreme Court to take up the case of a death row inmate in... Read more
South Korean bishops call for an end to the death penalty
The South Korean bishops’ conference has called for an end to the death penalty, and asked the nation’s Constitutional Court... Read more
Muslim denied presence of imam at his execution in Alabama
A Muslim man convicted of murder has been executed in Alabama without his imam present, despite the man’s requests to... Read more
Washington state bishops support repeal of death penalty
The Catholic bishops of Washington state are expressing support for a senate bill that would repeal the death penalty. Read more
Pope Francis: Death penalty a ‘legalistic’ value, not a Christian one
The death penalty is always a rejection of the Gospel and of human dignity, and therefore must be rejected by... Read more
Hours before execution, Tennessee governor rejects killer’s plea for mercy
Hours before David Miller is scheduled to be executed in Tennessee’s electric chair, the state’s governor has rejected Miller’s request... Read more
Catholic judge defends death penalty sentence on theological grounds
A Catholic judge in Ohio who recently sentenced a man to death defended his decision on both legal and theological... Read more
With inmate's fate unclear, Florida bishops pray to end death penalty
The Catholic bishops of Florida have asked for continued prayers for an end to the death penalty following the stay... Read more
Tennessee executes first prisoner since 2009, despite plea by bishops
Tennessee carried out its first execution in nearly a decade on Thursday evening. Governor Bill Haslam allowed the lethal injection... Read more
Pope Francis and the death penalty: a change in doctrine or circumstances?
Catholic theologians have weighed in on changes Pope Francis has made to the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s teaching on... Read more
Vatican changes Catechism teaching on death penalty, calls it ‘inadmissible’
Thursday the Vatican changed the Catechism’s teaching on the permissibility of the death penalty, which the Church has taught is... Read more
Is Church teaching changing on the death penalty?
The Church has consistently taught that the state has the authority to use the death penalty. But, in recent years,... Read more
Bishops object as Illinois governor pushes to reinstate death penalty
The Catholic Conference of Illinois decried the governor’s call to re-establish the death penalty, which has not been used in... Read more
Study finds decline in global death penalty numbers
After a record-high year of death sentences implemented around the world in 2016, a new report released by Amnesty International... Read more
Death penalty for drug dealers? Catholic group responds to federal memo
The Trump administration’s call for increased use of the death penalty in drug-related crimes will not address the root causes... Read more
Botched execution shows death penalty must end, Catholic group says
As a death row inmate in Alabama sues the state over a botched execution last month, a Catholic advocacy group... Read more
Colorado bishops support religious freedom of jailed Mennonite
Colorado bishops have released a statement of solidarity with a Mennonite investigator who has been imprisoned for failing to testify... Read more
Human dignity in the 21st century – Alaskan bishops release pastoral letter
The bishops of Alaska released a joint pastoral letter this month, highlighting the meaning, origin, and implications of human dignity... Read more
Supreme Court delays execution of inmate over dementia claims
The U.S. Supreme Court has delayed the execution of an Alabama man who killed a police officer in 1985, on... Read more
