Death Penalty

“Capital punishment feeds the cycle of violence in society by pandering to a lust for revenge. It brutalizes us, and deadens our sensitivities to the precious nature of every single human life.” – Most Rev. David B. Thompson, Catholic Bishop of Charleston, S.C., December 3, 1998.

The Missionary Oblates JPIC Office opposes the death penalty and is committed to advocating for its abolition. Inspired by the teaching of Jesus as well as 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. The Oblate JPIC Office is committed to press at all levels of decision-making to abolish the death penalty by promoting a culture of life.

Links:

• Death Penalty Information Center
• People of Faith against the Death Penalty
• The Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty
• Catholics against Capital Punishment

“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

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