Federal Death Penalty Resumes

The US Department of Justice announced plans last week to resume the practice of capital punishment at the federal level after a 16-year hiatus. 
 
As Catholics we are unconditionally pro-life and this move is an affront to the sanctity and sacredness of human life. The Catholic Church’s teaching is very clear on capital punishment: the death penalty is “inadmissible “in all cases “because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” (CCC 2267) 
 
The reinstatement of the federal death penalty is not representative of the direction in which our country is moving. In the 16 years since the federal government last conducted an execution, the American public has changed its collective thinking on the death penalty. As of October 2018, a record low of 49% of Americans believe the punishment is applied fairly, a result of mounting evidence of racial bias, arbitrariness, innocence, and other factors.

Please pray for the victims of crime, as well as those on death row, and advocate for the end of the use of the death penalty in the United States. For more information on the Church’s pro-life teachings regarding the death penalty and ways you can take action, visit CatholicsMobilizing.org.