capital punishment

Is killing Lisa Montgomery the best version of justice we have?
(RNS) — Lisa Montgomery is slated to become the first woman executed by the federal government in nearly 70 years, days before her executioner leaves office.

Barr the executioner
(RNS) — The departing attorney general seemingly went out of his way to reject his church’s teaching on the death penalty.

The death penalty is a burden of shame for the United States. It must end
(RNS) — The death penalty denies the sacredness of human life, forever foreclosing on the opportunity for redemption.

Pope’s new book speaks to Americans on racism, immigration and gender equity
(RNS) — Readers will be surprised how relevant the book’s message is to American Catholics and the country’s leaders.

Federal executions are one more example of Trump administration overreach
(RNS) — This month’s federal executions are the first in 17 years, but may only be the beginning. The next federal execution is scheduled for Aug. 28, and there are 59 more federal inmates facing the death penalty.

Death in the middle of death: On the execution of Walter Barton
(RNS) — The pandemic has caused us to rethink a lot of things, and one can only hope that executing people is one of the things we don’t want to return to.

The hero of the film ‘Just Mercy’ could be you
(RNS) — The biopic about the work of Bryan Stevenson isn’t about a man, but a social justice movement that any one of us can join.

Federal judge gives Buddhist death row inmate another stay of execution
(RNS) — The Texas death row inmate’s execution has now been stayed twice this year over concerns for religious freedom.

Sister Helen Prejean on new book, getting rid of death penalty and getting Jesus ‘right’
(RNS) — Sister Helen Prejean talked to Religion News Service about how she became involved in social justice, why she thinks the death penalty is on its way out and how she got to ‘bump into two popes along the way.’

Can faithful Catholics vote for President Trump?
(RNS) — The nation’s Catholic bishops include racist behavior among the sins that ‘may legitimately disqualify a candidate from receiving support.’

Will grace prevail as Tennessee execution looms?
(RNS) — The daughter of Don Johnson has taken up his case not only to save his life, but to set herself free from the violence that has kept her prisoner.

How outrage for a death row inmate may have flipped the justices for religious liberty
(RNS) — The traditional view has been that these nine jurists are insulated from pressure, but the response to a case of a Muslim denied the right to his imam at his execution may have proved the exception.

Why evangelicals are applauding California’s governor for halting executions
(RNS) — As evangelicals, we are taught to examine the systems around us and to call out those that are unfair and unjust. The death penalty is exactly that. It is arbitrary, biased and immoral.

The Jewish answer to how to punish the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter
PITTSBURGH (RNS) — I plan to avenge the attack on my husband’s synagogue and our community by celebrating our lives as Jews.

Absent an imam, Domineque Ray’s execution by Alabama disenfranchises Muslims
(RNS) — The American legal system’s anti-Islam problem might be more accurately seen as a pro-Christianity problem.