In a speech to a delegation of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty, on December 17, 2018, Pope Francis denied the moral licitness of the death penalty by stating that it “is always inadmissible,” “contrary to the Gospel,” and “deeply injurious to human dignity.” Francis’s declaration could not be blunter: If … Read more
Many articles have been published throughout the Catholic world about Pope Francis’s change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, stating that “the death penalty is inadmissible.” Such articles show how this statement contradicts Scripture and Tradition and represents a clear break with the constant teaching of the Church. In these brief … Read more
In an October 11 speech to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, Pope Francis condemned the death penalty, not only in its concrete application but also as a correct doctrine according to the Gospel. He said that no man, “not even a murderer, loses his personal dignity.”[1] For … Read more
In a strange coalition, conservative and liberal Catholic publications made an appeal to Catholics: “We, the editors of four Catholic journals — America, National Catholic Register, National Catholic Reporter and Our Sunday Visitor — urge the readers of our diverse publications and the whole U.S. Catholic community and all people of faith … Read more
It is not a rare thing for Catholic prelates to assert definitively that the Church opposes capital punishment. Some even liken the death of a defenseless aborted baby to that of a criminal duly judged by a competent court and condemned for a grave violation of the moral or juridical order. Such … Read more