Overview
Religious denominations in the U.S. have frequently made statements about the death penalty, sometimes pointing out concerns about its application, and other times judging the morality of the punishment itself. Historically, most major religious bodies allowed for the use of capital punishment, but criticism of the practice has greatly increased in recent times.
At Issue
In a diverse democracy, no single religious point of view occupies a privileged position in the framing of law. Nevertheless, the principles of various communities of faith are relevant in the political debate because they help inform the views of their respective constituents and reflect the “evolving standards of decency” that are vital to the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Eighth Amendment.
What DPIC Offers
DPIC provides a compilation of statements about the death penalty from a broad array of religious denominations. DPIC occasionally highlights the views of those speaking from a faith perspective when the comments relate to a case or controversy involving capital punishment. Finally, it features the results of death penalty polls when broken down by particular faiths.
News & Developments
News
Apr 26, 2024
Federal Judge Orders Alameda County District Attorney to Review 35 Capital Cases Following Disclosure of Prosecutorial Misconduct in Jury Selection
On April 22, 2024, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced that her office was ordered by a federal judge to review 35 death penalty convictions after the disclosure of evidence that several prosecutors intentionally excluded Black and Jewish people from serving on a capital murder trial in 1995. In a press conference, DA Price indicated that her office discovered the handwritten notes of former prosecutors that include discriminatory jury selection tactics, suggesting…
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Jan 10, 2024
Catholic Organizers See “Renewed Momentum” for Death Penalty Abolition from Pope Francis’ Teachings
In 2018, Pope Francis formally revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church — its core teachings — to oppose the death penalty. Characterizing capital punishment as “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” he wrote that the Catholic Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide.” This revision updated a 1997 Catechism edit by Pope John Paul II that permitted the death penalty in rare cases where it was deemed “the only possible way of effectively defending human…
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News
Oct 17, 2023
Victim’s Sister, Faith Leaders, and Others Plead for Clemency for Will Speer, Faith Based Coordinator on Texas’ Death Row
On Friday, October 13, the sole surviving family member of murder victim Gary L. Dickerson joined dozens of faith leaders and others in asking the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for clemency for Will Speer. Mr. Speer is set to be executed on October 26, 2023. After a childhood of horrific abuse, a life sentence by age 18, and a judgment of death by age 23, Mr. Speer devoted himself to the study of Christianity and has become a prominent prison minister. “In my heart, I feel that he is not…
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News
Sep 26, 2023
New DPIC Podcast: Evangelical Pastor Rich Nathan Discusses How a “Culture of Life” Informs His Opposition to the Death Penalty
In the September 2023 episode of Discussions with DPIC, Anne Holsinger, Managing Director of DPIC, speaks with Pastor Rich Nathan (pictured), founding pastor of Vineyard Columbus, an evangelical Christian church based in Ohio. Mr. Nathan shares how religious teachings inform his position on the death penalty. “For me, the opposition to capital punishment has just been a natural extension of our pro-life position of building an inclusive society, a society that welcomes everyone into the human…
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News
Sep 25, 2023
The Metropolitan Opera Premieres “Dead Man Walking” Based on the Book by Sister Helen Prejean
On September 26, 2023, the New York Metropolitan Opera will premiere “Dead Man Walking” created by American composer Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally and featuring a new staging by Ivo van Hove. The opera is based on Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 memoir which details her journey as a pen pal and spiritual adviser to a death-sentenced prisoner at Louisiana’s Angola State Prison. It is the most performed contemporary opera in the world. “I can only think that somehow we told this human drama…
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