WHAT DOES CATHOLIC TEACHING SAY?
In the past, Catholic teaching permitted the taking of life in certain exceptional circumstances such as self-defense and capital punishment. In the face of a society that grows more violent with every passing year, the teaching against taking lives has been strengthened and exceptions made more restrictive. While the Church has not denied its traditional position that the state has the right to employ capital punishment, many Catholic bishops, together with Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, have spoken against the exercise of that right by the state. INAPPROPRIATE RESPONSE It is our best judgment as pastors and lay members of the Church who are devoted to defending life that capital punishment will only serve to inflame the culture of violence that is already too prevalent in our state. We believe that capital punishment undermines the sacredness of human life. It fails to combat crime effectively and doesn’t contribute to building a society that is free from crime. Furthermore, it neit
