Use of the death penalty in the United States continues to decrease, according to a report released Dec. 17 by the Death Penalty Information Center. The report said this year's 22 executions and 33 new death sentences were down from the previous
The upcoming movie "Just Mercy" "has the potential to wake up out of a slumber the part of society that either doesn't believe the death penalty is still in practice or chooses to ignore it," according to two leaders of the Catholic
The U.S. Supreme Court has left in place a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Trump administration from carrying out the first federal executions in 16 years. In an order handed down the evening of December 6, the justices unanimously denied an application by
The eight Catholic bishops of Florida have written to Governor Ron DeSantis urging him to stay the November 7 execution of James Dailey at the Florida State Prison in Starke. "While we urge you to stop every execution and end the use
The Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty stems from its view on the sacredness of human life and the value of mercy, said U.S. bishops in a roundtable discussion about capital punishment Oct. 10. The discussion, which was livestreamed by Catholic
The Catholic Church rejects the death penalty because it promotes the culture of death
More than 180 faith leaders in Texas, including 18 Catholics, signed a statement sent to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice July 23 asking the agency to change its policy banning prison chaplains from execution chambers.
The July 25 announcement by the Justice Department that it is reinstating the federal death penalty for the first time in 16 years was unwelcome news for Catholic leaders who have advocated against capital punishment.
Question: A priest told us that if we approve of the death penalty we are not Catholics in good standing. Is this true? — Peter Tate, Long Beach, California Answer: The debate over the recent change in the Catechism’s wording about the
The Supreme Court, citing racial bias in the prosecutor's jury selection, overturned the death sentence of a Mississippi African American man who had been tried six times for a quadruple murder charge.