CNA Staff, May 20, 2020 / 11:45 am
Despite objections from Catholic groups, a Missouri death row inmate died by lethal injection May 19, in the first execution carried out in the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Catholics in the state had protested the governor's decision to allow the execution of Walter Barton to take place, with the Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) helping to gather over 5,000 signatures on a petition asking Governor Mike Parson to stop the execution.
The Washington D.C.-based Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), which advocates for an end to the death penalty, also condemned the decision to go ahead with the execution.
"Our nation has gone to great lengths to save lives and prevent unnecessary loss of life during the COVID-19 crisis," Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, CMN's Executive Director, said May 20.