Statement from Bishop Deeley on Resumption of Federal Executions

“Americans face a profound challenge in the uphill battle to protect the dignity of the human person. After being on hold for 17 years, federal executions of inmates resumed this year, including an execution on Thursday and more scheduled for the coming weeks. I join with my brother bishops across the country in calling on the current administration to stop these executions as an act of witness to the dignity of life. Pope Francis has revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph #2267) to state that the death penalty is 'inadmissible in all circumstances' regardless of how serious the crimes of a condemned individual may have been. Executions only offer false hope that innocent victims will somehow be made whole again, but the death penalty is, in essence, an act of revenge. Executions entail inhumane treatment. Further, capital punishment diminishes society and attacks the sanctity of life. As Christians, we believe in the intrinsic value and dignity of every life from conception to natural death. We pray that our leadership will recognize the Gospel truth that God is the creator of life and God, and only God, is the arbiter of when life on earth should end.”