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Death Penalty: Oregon Declares A Moratorium On all Executions December 19th, 2011

On November 22, Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon announced that no more executions will take place during his term. Catholics and several other opponents of the death penalty praised Governor Kitzhaber for placing a moratorium on the use of the death penalty for the rest of his term.

Portland Catholic Archbishop John Vlazny applauded the decision. Faith groups in Oregon mobilized actions, petitions and letters in support of the moratorium. Oregon now joins 16 other states and the District of Columbia that do not have the death penalty. Of those 16, Illinois had abolished the death penalty most recently, in an action early in 2011.

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People of Faith Against the Death Penalty August 30th, 2011

Religious leaders are being invited to join the calling for clemency for Georgia’s Troy Davis. People of Faith Against the Death Penalty and Amnesty International are working with religious leaders to encourage others from all faith traditions to endorse a public letter urging the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute the death sentence of Troy Davis.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Troy Davis’s appeals and set the stage for him to possibly face a fourth execution date at any time. Only the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles can stop his execution now. More than 1,500 leaders from around the country have already endorsed the letter. These include leaders of many different faith traditions, including Catholic, Baptist and Methodist clergy and religious communities.

Religious leaders can read and sign the clemency letter for Georgia’s Davis Troy at www.troyletter.org

 

Website Updates June 24th, 2011

Please check out the revised JPIC web pages on Immigration and Death Penalty. The pages offer an updated overview of our program work in these areas as well as new resource links.

The pages can be found in the Issues section of the website, under Human Dignity. Both pages can be accessed via hyperlinks on the Human Dignity page, or on the left navigation bar under Human Dignity. Death Penalty is in the section on Consistent Life. Or, just click on the hyperlinks on this page.

 

Abolition of the Death Penalty becomes law in Illinois March 11th, 2011

On March 9, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation repealing the death penalty that state. The Oblate JPIC office commends the faith leaders and community groups – including many in the Oblate network – who worked hard to build a coalition to end the death penalty in Illinois. Since November of last year, the Oblate JPIC office has been providing advocacy resources and actions alerts to Oblate communities in Illinois to support their efforts to abolish the death penalty.

Learn more: Read the statement from the Catholic Bishops of Illinois.

Help Illinois Abolish the Death Penalty December 2nd, 2010

On November 30, an important victory was achieved in the Illinois State House Judiciary Committee when the committee voted to recommend passage of SB 3539 – the Death Penalty repeal bill. The bill – SB3539 creates a new fund supporting law enforcement training and services for families of murder victims. The bill is now headed to the State’s House floor for a vote.

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Please Take Action to Affirm the Dignity of Human Life September 3rd, 2010

Teresa Lewis is scheduled to be executed September 23, 2010 in Virginia. She was convicted in 2002 of persuading two men to kill her husband and stepson. Teresa Lewis has been on death row in Virginia since June 2003.

Now 41 and a mother and grandmother, Teresa Lewis would be the first woman executed in Virginia since 1912.

In solidarity with the Virginia Catholic Bishops, the U.S. Catholic bishops and the Papal Nuncio, we ask you please to contact Governor McDonnell and urge him to commute Teresa Lewis’s sentence to life in prison.

TAKE ACTION HERE : CONTACT VA GOVERNOR TO STOP EXECUTION SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 23.

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