Death Penalty
The Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty forms part of the Oblate JPIC Consistent Life initiative. In this campaign, the Oblate JPIC office provides resources and action suggestions reflecting the teaching of the Catholic Church to end the use of the death penalty in the United States. Our recent engagement has been to support Oblates and associates to be involved in repealing the death penalty in Illinois and Connecticut.
The Issue
Every Society has a duty to defend life against violence and to reach out to victims of crime. At the same time, the nation’s increasing reliance on the death penalty cannot be justified, because we have other ways to protect society that are more respectful of human life. Inspired by the teachings of Jesus as well as by Catholic Social Teaching, we strongly oppose capital punishment. As both an ethical and a practical matter, the death penalty raises questions of injustice and inequality.
What We Are Doing
Our campaign to end the use of the death penalty stems from the Oblate JPIC emphasis on an ethic of consistent life. The office provides resources and action suggestions that reflect Catholic Church teaching on the death penalty. Recently, we have supported engagement by Oblates and associates in death penalty campaigns in Illinois and Connecticut. We provide religious reflections, advocacy and educational resources on death penalty opposition and alternatives.
What You Can Do
Find out if there are efforts to end the use of the death penalty in your state. Visit the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Death Penalty Information Center for the latest information and action suggestions.
Resources For Action
- Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Use of the Death Penalty
- Catholics Against Capital Punishment
- People of Faith against the Death Penalty
- Equal Justice USA
- National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
- Death Penalty Information Center
- Divine Mercy and the Death Penalty (2010) Respect Life Booklet 2010-2011. (Download PDF).
- Cities against the Death Penalty also known as “Cities for Life” – November 30. This global action aims to support an end to the death penalty.
“Ending the death penalty would be one important step away from a culture of death and toward building a culture of life.”— From: A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005
