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Death Penalty
A Florida Bishop Speaks Against Capital Punishment Bishop Gracida
A Good Friday Appeal to End the Death Penalty 1999 statement of the Administrative Board of the U.S. Catholic Conference
A Pastoral Letter Regarding the Morality of Capital Punishment (Bishop Thomas V. Daily of Brooklyn, New York)
A Witness To Life: The Catholic Church and the Death Penalty Address by Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, to the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., May 2000
Abolition of the Death Penalty Intervention by H. E. Archbishop Renato R. Martino, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations before the Third Committee of the 54th Session of the General Assembly
Affirming Justice and Mercy Ohio Catholic Bishops statement, 1996
An execution in Texas A paper by Bishop Jacques Gaillot
Capital Punishment in Wisconsin: A Statement by the Bishops of Wisconsin (1995)
Catholicism & Capital Punishment (Avery Cardinal Dulles)
Catechism of the Catholic Church Passages dealing with the death penalty
Choose Life: Reflections on the Death Penalty (Kentucky Bishops, 1996)
Church Teaches that All Life is Valuable (Archbishop Harry J. Flynn)
Creating New Hearts: Moving from Retributive to Restorative Justice 1995 pastoral letter from the bishops of New Zealand
Dear Justice Scalia: An Open Letter on Catholic Social Teaching About the Death Penalty from a Catholic Law Professor to a Catholic Supreme Court Justice (Bill Quigley)
Death Penalty (Bishop Kenneth A. Angell of Burlington, VT)
Freed from death row, ex-prisoners tell how faith sustained them
Georgia Bishops And The Death Penalty 1980 statement by the Catholic bishops of Georgia and the Episcopal bishop of Atlanta
Hard Evidence: Hearing the facts about the death penalty (Julie Polter)
Iowa Catholic Bishops' Statement on Death Penalty, 1998
Oregon Catholic Bishops' statement, 1984
Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice U.S. Catholic Bishops' statement, 1980
Restorative Justice and the Common Good: Creating a Culture of Forgiveness and Reconciliation (Tom Cavanagh, MS)
Retribution and Restoration: The Two Paths (Elizabeth Linehan)
Statement of Bishop Joseph Green of Reno 1973
Statement on Capital Punishment U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1980
Statements On Capital Punishment By the Florida Catholic Conference
Stories of Violence and Responses to It 1995 statement by Bishop Brunett of Helena, Montana
The Death Penalty Supported (Archbishop Francis J. Furey of San Antonio (1973)
The Death Penalty: Why the Church Speaks a Countercultural Message (Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J.)
The Gospel of Life and capital Punishment: A Reflection Piece and Study Guide 1999 statement from the California Catholic Conference
The Gospel of Life vs. The Death Penalty
(Bishop Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap.)
The Montana Catholic Conference on Capital Punishment, 1981
The True Road to True Justice (Archbishop Charles J. Chaput)
To Kill or Not to Kill: The Catholic Church and the Problem of the Death Penalty (E. Christian Brugger)
What the Vatican Has Said Passages from papal and curial documents
The Death Penalty 1991 statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Is Capital Punishment Sanctioned by Divine Authority? 1846 essay by Church of Christ minister Alexander Campbell
A Reply to Alexander Campbell By Tolbert Fanning in "Christian Review" (1847)
Capital Punishment By Kerby Anderson, chief executive officer of Probe Ministries International
Capital Punishment: The Death Penalty Hebrew and Christian Scriptures relating to the Death Penalty. Capital Punishment in North America. Reasons for and against Capital Punishment. Internet Resources
Death Penalty Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 1991
Capital Punishment Presbyterian Church (USA)
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty U.N. Doc. A/44/49 (1989), entered into force July 11, 1991
Ethics Updates: Punishment and the Death Penalty Provides: 1. internet links relating to punishment and the death penalty; 2. survey of philosophical work on punishment and the death penalty; 3. summaries of recent articles on punishment and the death penalty; 4. discussion topics and term paper topics on punishment and the death penalty
Supreme Court Decisions Click on "Capital Punishment" for full texts of decisions, including concurring and dissenting views
A Declaration of Life A legal document for you to download and sign which make it clear that you oppose judicial revenge killing, and if murdered, do not want your murderer to be killed
Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Angel on Death Row Frontline presentation; includes interviews, articles, and opposing views
The Death Penalty From the Clark County, Indiana Prosecuting Attorney
Capital Punishment in Missouri This website on Missouri inmates and death penalty history is maintained by The Missourinet, a division of Learfield Communications in Jefferson City, Missouri
Death Penalty related links
Catholics Against Capital Punishment. CACP was founded in January 1992 to promote greater awareness of Catholic Church teachings that characterize capital punishment as inappropriate and unacceptable in today's world. It does this in three ways: By communicating such teachings to federal and state lawmakers, especially those who are Catholic, urging them to oppose proposed legislation imposing or extending the use of the death penalty and to work for repeal of such laws currently on the books; By encouraging members of the Catholic hierarchy and clergy in the U. S. to speak out more forcefully against capital punishment; By mobilizing the support of the Catholic laity to achieve the above two goals
Death Penalty Articles from the magazine Salt of the Earth
Helen Prejean, CSJ Author of "Dead Man Walking"
Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation
Nat. Assn. of State Catholic Conference Directors' website
The above link contains major statements on the death penalty issued in recent years by state conferences of bishops. If your state has a Catholic Conference with a website, it may contain additional statements . Look for it on this site`s list of NASCCD member state conferences and their websites.
Stat house: Capital Punishment Statistics
The Death Penalty Information Center
Space does not permit CACP to list the websites of all the national, international, state and religious-oriented organizations working to end the death penalty. Many other Catholic-oriented ones may be found by clicking on CACP`s "Resources" box at left. But a more comprehensive listing of all anti-death penalty groups may be found on the website of the Death Penalty Information Center. Go to the above link, then click on "Resources."
Ecumenical Statements
A Buddhist Perspective on the Death Penalty: Of Compassion and Capital Punishment Article in The American Journal of Jurisprudence by Damien P. Horigan, 1996
Letter to Christians in Florida 1984 document by the leaders of 16 denominations in Florida
Unitarian Universalists for Alternatives to the Death Penalty