EWTN’s Kate Scanlon speaks with a family who suffered the violent murder of their daughter, yet hold true to the teachings of the church despite their pain – and reject the death penalty. Their journey to bring a pro-life message to the U.S., and the hope they say they are finding in the 2nd Catholic…Read More
The state Pardon and Parole Board on Monday voted to further review the commutation application of Julius Jones, a death row inmate who claims he was framed for murder and whose cause has been taken up by celebrities and criminal justice reform advocates across the country. In a first-stage vote that was streamed publicly via…Read More
Virginia is expected to become the first southern state to abolish the death penalty, after its general assembly voted on Monday to end the practice. The state senate voted 22 to 16 to approve H.B. 2263, which would abolish the death penalty in the state including for inmates currently on death row. The state house…Read More
The abolition of the death penalty has advanced in Virginia, with the State Senate’s passage of a bill backed by the Virginia Catholic Conference. The death penalty repeal bill passed the Senate by a 21-17 vote Feb. 3. All Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while no Republicans did. One Republican abstained. “Only a…Read More
More than 70 House and Senate Democrats announced Tuesday that they will reintroduce a bill ending the federal death penalty, enacting one of President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign promises. Spearheaded by incoming Senate majority whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and democratic socialist congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), the bill would prohibit a sentence of death for any federal…Read More
With three more federal executions scheduled in January, the Chairmen of the US Bishops Domestic Justice and Human Development Committee, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, have renewed their call to President Trump and the Acting Attorney General to stop federal executions. Call to Congress In a statement,…Read More
The use of lethal injections will no longer be allowed for executions in the state of Ohio, and an alternative method must be found if capital punishment is to continue in the state, Governor Mike DeWine said this week. In an interview with the AP, DeWine (R) said that there is already an “unofficial moratorium”…Read More
In the wake of more federal executions scheduled in coming weeks, two bishop chairmen have issued a statement calling on the Administration to act as a witness to the dignity of all human life. Archbishop Paul S Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and…Read More
In “Fratelli Tutti,” the latest papal encyclical released by Pope Francis on Oct. 4 on the topic of “fraternity and social friendship,” the Holy Father makes an unequivocal reaffirmation of the inadmissibility of capital punishment in the eyes of the Catholic Church. “There can be no stepping back from this position,” Pope Francis writes. “Social…Read More
The Supreme Court denied the appeals of two federal death-row inmates in late September. On Sept. 22, it denied an appeal to postpone the execution of William LeCroy, who had argued that his execution should be postponed to allow his longtime lead attorney to attend. The attorney has leukemia and is vulnerable to COVID-19, so…Read More