Death Penalty
The Latest
Tree of Life synagogue shooter handed federal death penalty
Robert G. Bowers is the first person to be condemned to death under the Biden administration, which placed the federal... Read more
Florida bishops request clemency for death row inmate
James Phillip Barnes is scheduled to die Thursday, but bishops in Florida have appealed to Gov. Ron DeSantis for a... Read more
UPDATE: Missouri death row inmate to be executed Tuesday
Catholics in St. Louis and across Missouri, as well as Pope Francis himself, had advocated for a stay of Johnny... Read more
Missouri death row inmate granted stay of execution following Catholic advocacy
Catholics across Missouri had advocated for a stay of Johnny Johnson’s execution, citing the Church’s teaching on the admissibility of... Read more
Capitol Hill Democrats introduce bill to end federal death penalty
Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin introduced a bill to abolish the federal death penalty, calling the... Read more
Catholic priest shares inside look of accompanying a man on death row
Father Dustin Feddon from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee tells CNA what it was like to walk with Darryl Barwick to... Read more
Florida bishops plead with DeSantis to spare life of death row inmate
The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops appealed to the governor to grant a stay and commute convicted murderer Duane Owen’s... Read more
Bishops condemn Florida’s dropping of unanimous jury requirement for death penalty cases
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill April 20 allowing prisoners in the state to be sentenced to death without... Read more
Louisiana governor calls for end to death penalty — and legalizing some abortions
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, citing “pro-life values,” has called on lawmakers to end the state’s death penalty in the... Read more
.jpg?w=220&h=165)
California bishops to visit death row inmates at San Quentin
A group of Catholic bishops will visit San Quentin Prison’s death row inmates on Tuesday. Read more
Parkland shooter’s life sentence is ‘severe and just,’ Miami archbishop says
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami spoke out this week to support a life sentence for the man who killed 17... Read more
Denial of clemency to death row inmate disappoints Oklahoma archbishop
One day after a parole board denied clemency to death row inmate Benjamin Cole, the archbishop of Oklahoma City registered... Read more
Oklahoma City archbishop disappointed by denial of clemency to death row inmate
Shortly after Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma denied clemency to death row inmate James Coddington on Wednesday, the Archbishop of... Read more
OKC archbishop calls for end to death penalty after court upholds lethal injections
The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the death penalty "inadmissible." Read more
Bishops in Texas welcome stay of execution for woman on death row
The Texas bishops' conference expressed gratitude Monday that a state court halted the execution of Melissa Lucio over claims she... Read more
Charleston diocese: Making death-row inmate choose means of execution is 'barbarism'
After the South Carolina Supreme Court set a date for the execution of Richard Moore, the Diocese of Charleston stated... Read more
Condemned man wins case seeking pastor’s touch and prayer during execution
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of an inmate who requested that his pastor pray aloud and “lay hands” on... Read more
Supreme Court reinstates death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber
In a 6-3 decision, with Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting, the court found that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev... Read more
Bishops in Texas urge clemency for woman on death row
The state of Texas should grant clemency to a woman set to be executed in April, a Catholic organization and... Read more
Oklahoma governor's clemency of Julius Jones took 'tremendous courage,' Archbishop Coakley says
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City praised Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) for his “tremendous courage” in granting convicted murderer Julius... Read more
