Apr. 6, 2025 | The Death Penalty

Holy Week calls attention to the death penalty, since Jesus Christ himself was an innocent put to death by capital punishment. The topic is top-of-mind these days as the new presidential administration wants to increase the use of the punishment, and some states are using new methods of execution, including lethal gas/suffocation and firing squads. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, which fights the use of the death penalty and works toward restorative justice solutions. She says that the church’s opposition, clearly defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, focuses on the inherent human dignity of every human, and notes that we need to do a better job of educating Catholics and others about the issues surrounding capital punishment.