U.S. Bishops Issue Statement in Opposition to Death Penalty

At the November meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bishops voted unanimously to approve, "A Culture of Life and Penalty of Death," a statement in opposition to the use of the death penalty, stating:

"During recent decades, we have seen that the death penalty is unnecessary and unjustified, undermining respect for human life and dignity and supporting a culture of death."

In "A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death," the bishops call for our nation to abandon the use of the death penalty as we move one step closer to building a culture of life. As a tool for education and reflection, this pastoral statement is an effort to help Catholics better understand and apply the Church's teaching on the death penalty.

All Catholics-from religious and political leaders to the parishioner in the pew-are called to join in the efforts to bring an end to capital punishment through prayer, outreach, education, reflection, and action.

For the full text see, USCCB Publishing