Capital Punishment
The Latest
Bishops call on Trump administration to stop planned federal executions
Prominent U.S. bishops are imploring a halt to three federal executions scheduled for this week. Read more
Lawyer urges clemency for federal death row inmate
A woman convicted of murdering a woman and stealing her unborn child should be granted clemency ahead of her scheduled... Read more
Ohio governor: Lethal injection impermissible for executions
The use of lethal injections will no longer be allowed for executions in the state of Ohio, and an alternative... Read more
Tennessee governor delays execution of man with 'intellectual disability'
The governor of Tennessee has delayed the execution of an intellectually disabled man due to the coronavirus pandemic. The execution... Read more
Does 'Fratelli tutti' change Church teaching on the death penalty?
In his new encyclical, Pope Francis reiterated that the death penalty is “inadmissible,” but did he change centuries of Church teaching... Read more
Catholics plead for Navajo man on eve of scheduled execution
Catholics are joining Native American leaders in calling for mercy for a Navajo man who is sentenced to die in... Read more
Second federal inmate executed after Supreme Court decision
The second of five federal prisoners slated for execution was killed in the early hours of Thursday, July 16. Wesley... Read more
Court denies Catholic priest's motion asking for delay of prisoner's execution
The chief judge of a federal district court in Indiana denied Tuesday a motion to delay the execution of Dustin... Read more
First federal execution in 17 years lamented as 'unnecessary and avoidable'
The federal government executed its first federal inmate in 17 years on Tuesday, following numerous delays and requests for clemency... Read more
Cardinal Tobin asks Trump for clemency in death row case
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark has joined several U.S. bishops in asking President Donald Trump to commute the death sentence... Read more
Federal executions to resume after Supreme Court denies appeal
Federal executions are set to resume in the next two weeks after the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to... Read more
Supreme Court stays Texas execution over chaplain dispute
The Supreme Court stayed the execution of a man in Texas after the state’s Department of Corrections refused to allow... Read more
Catholics protest Missouri execution of death row prisoner
Despite objections from Catholic groups, a Missouri death row inmate died by lethal injection May 19, in the first execution... Read more
Colorado becomes latest state to repeal death penalty
The Catholic bishops of Colorado have welcomed the repeal of the death penalty, as the state becomes the 22nd to... Read more
Colorado's Catholic bishops back death penalty repeal
The Catholic bishops of Colorado have backed a bipartisan bill to repeal the death penalty that appears set to become... Read more
Drop in support for the death penalty matches decline in its use
As support for the death penalty decreases in the U.S., so does the number of inmates executed by the states,... Read more
Federal executions put on hold while court case moves forward
A federal judge on Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction halting federal executions in the U.S., saying that a challenge to... Read more
Indiana bishops say death penalty does not help convicts or victims
Ahead of a scheduled reinstatement of the death penalty for federal inmates, the bishops of Indiana are calling on U.S.... Read more
Bishops lament return of federal executions
Catholic leaders have condemned the federal government’s announcement last week that it will resume of executions after an almost two... Read more
Church in Philippines rejects president's call to revive death penalty
Catholic leaders in the Philippines are calling on Catholics and lawmakers to resist President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to revive the... Read more
