Catholic Publications Unite in Appeal for End to Death Penalty

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Four Catholic publications today published online a joint editorial calling for an end to the death penalty in the United States. “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 […]

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Four Catholic publications today published online a joint editorial calling for an end to the death penalty in the United States.

“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 to stand with us and say, ‘Capital punishment must end,’ ” says the editorial, which was posted on the publications’ websites Thursday morning.

The editorial will also appear in these publications’ print issues in the next weeks.


The editorial is in response to a death penalty case out of Oklahoma that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear next month. The case, Glossip v. Gross, involves the use of a lethal injection protocol widely used in the United States that resulted in a series of botched executions last year.

As the editorial notes, thinking on capital punishment has evolved over time, but since Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, “The Gospel of Life,” the church has taught that the need for capital punishment is “very rare, if not practically non-existent.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church was updated in 1997 to reflect this. Writing at that time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would become Pope Benedict XVI, noted that “where other means for the self-defense of society are possible and adequate, the death penalty may be permitted to disappear.”

The editorial also notes, “Last year, Pope Francis called on all Catholics ‘to fight … for the abolition of the death penalty.’ ”

National Catholic Reporter has a long history of opposing capital punishment,” editor Dennis Coday said. “Therefore, we welcomed the chance to join these other Catholic publications in issuing a call to end this barbaric practice.

“The readerships of our various publications represent a wide spectrum of views on the Catholic church. That we can forge a joint statement in opposition to the death penalty is a testament to the lasting solidarity Catholics show on all issues that touch on the sanctity of life.”

Writing about the editorial in the March 13 issue of NCR, in which the editorial will appear, CEO/president Caitlin Hendel called it “a remarkable display of unity.”

“On some issues, a united opinion is the only path to take,” Hendel wrote. “This is one of those issues.”


Writing in the March 15 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, editor Gretchen R. Crowe says the editorial “stands as a strong, united and pro-life statement against the U.S. death penalty.”

“Such a combined effort is not unprecedented, but it is rare, and as such, we hope that it contributes to the national debate,” she writes. “Our Sunday Visitor has long been opposed to capital punishment, and we are proud to stand side-by-side with our fellow national Catholic publications on this issue.”

The editorial can be found online at: http://ncronline.org/news/peace-justice/editorial-catholic-publications-call-end-capital-punishment

###

Established in 1964, the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) began as a newspaper and is now a print and online news source that stands as one of the few truly independent journalistic outlets for Catholics and others who struggle with the complex moral and societal issues of the day.

Additional Contacts:
Fr. Matt Malone, S.J.
Editor in Chief, America
212-515-0105

Jeanette De Melo
Editor in Chief, National Catholic Register
205-478-0892

Caitlin Hendel
CEO/President, National Catholic Reporter
816-968-2277

Gretchen R. Crowe
Editor, OSV Newsweekly
260-359-2546

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!