Additional Resources

Articles and Opinions on the Death Penalty from a Religious Point of View

• Hung Jury by Mario Marazziti published in Tricycle, The Buddhist Review (March 21, 2015)
• “A Buddhist Perspective on the Death Penalty of Compassion and Capital Punishment” by Damien P. Horigan, originally published in The American Journal of Jurisprudence Volume 41 (1996): 271-288
• “Buddhism and the Death Penalty” from the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
• “Message Supporting the Moratorium on the Death Penalty” from the Dalai Lama (August 29, 1999)

• Pope’s September prayer intention: For abolition of the death penalty by Vatican News Staff (August 31, 2022)
• Patriarch Bartholomew on “Fratelli tutti”: abandon indifference and cynicism by Andrea Tornielli (October 2020)
• Fratelli tutti, a papal encyclical letter from Pope Francis (October 2020)
• Catholic bishop: Louisiana should end the death penalty, published by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre and The Advocate (April 24, 2019)
• New revision of number 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty — Rescriptum “ex Audenti SS.mi” (August 2, 2018)
• Pope Francis: The dynamic word of God cannot be moth-balled, Vatican Radio (October 13, 2017)
• Conservative Latino religious groups make big push to end death penalty by Rebekah Sager, Fox News Latino (August 10, 2016)
• Why Authentic Christians Must Oppose the Death Penalty by Roger Olson, Patheos.com (March 7, 2016)
• The pope wants a death penalty ban during his year of mercy by Ines San Martin, Crux (February 21, 2016)
• Pope Francis tell Congress ‘every life is sacred,’ says the death penalty should be abolished by Mark Berman, Washington Post (September 24, 2015)
• ”400+ Catholic and evangelical leaders want to kill the death penalty,” by Heather Adams, Religion News Service, March 31, 2015
• ”Pope Francis: no crime ever deserves the death penalty,” by Vatican Radio, March 20, 2015
• ”Finding God on Death Row: 10 Questions for Chaplain Dale Recinella” -by Sean Salai, S.J., America Magazine, July 26, 2014
• “Botched Oklahoma Execution Should Prompt Moral Outcry Among Evangelicals” - by Samuel Rodriguez, Time Magazine, May 5, 2014
• ”Crime and Sacrifice” - by Tobias Winright, Sojourners Magazine (April 2007)
• ”Power Over Life and Death” - San Francisco Chronicle OpEd by Bishop Richard J. Garcia, Bishop Jerry A. Lamb, Bishop Beverly J. Shamana, Bishop David G. Mullen, and Rev. David Thompson (January 15, 2005)
• “Christian Worship and Capital Punishment” by Tobias Winright, Professor at Saint Louis University, and Fr. Allyne Smith (2003)
• “God’s Justice and Ours” by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (2002)
• ”Quotes On the Death Penalty” from Pope John Paul II (1995-2002)
• Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice - United States Catholic Conference (November 2000)
• Transcript of Dr. Pat Robertson’s Speech on the Role of Religion and the Death Penalty(PDF) at The College of William and Mary (April 2000)
• “The Death Penalty: From Cycles of Evil to Circles of Healing” Sermon by Rev. Larry Reimer (April 9, 2000)
• General Assembly of the Texas Conference of Churches - Resolution Opposing the Death Penalty (February 24, 1998)
• Catholic Bishops of Iowa - Statement on Death Penalty (February 4, 1998)
• Catholic Bishops of Texas -Statement on Capital Punishment (October 20, 1997)
• Catholic Catechism and the Death Penalty (September 9, 1997)
• “Report on Capital Punishment” by The Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod (August 1980)
• Collection of Official Catholic Statements on the Death Penalty - National Conference of Catholic Bishops (multiple years)

• Capital punishment: Life is sacred in India, so why did they just hang a man? By Amalendu Misra in The Conversation (August 1, 2015)
• “Hinduism and the Death Penalty” An interview with T. Kumar of Amnesty International (October 11, 2002)

• Sharia law and the death penalty by Penal Reform International (July 2015)
• “Islam and the Death Penalty” by Rabia Terri Harris, from Amnesty International (October 8, 2002)
• ”Islam and the Death Penalty” by William Schabas, originally published in William and Mary Bill of Rights Journal 9:1 (December 2000): 223-237

• Jewish tradition frequently stands against the death penalty. Synagogue shooter’s case may put it to test by Oliver Morrison, Public Source (November 5, 2018)
• Over 100 Rabbi’s Denounce the Death Penalty by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, The Forward (August 10, 2017)
• S. Yanklowitz, “Jewish Leaders Take A Stand Against The Death Penalty,” Jewish Journal (February 17, 2016)
• Jews and the Civil Rights Struggle, Past and Future by Rabbi David Saperstein (January 17, 2014)
• ”Now is the time to atone for the death penalty” by Marshall Dayan and Ron Tabak, The Jewish Chronicle (October 13, 2008)
• ”Judaism and the Death Penalty; of Two Minds but One Heart” by Nathan Diament, originally published in Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought (2004)
• ”The Challenge of Holiness” by Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein (January 10, 2000)

• Beyond Faiths and Race in Interfaith, Interracial Worship by Dorsey Blake for Black Perspectives (April 12, 2023)
• Voice of Faith: Forgiveness and peace better path than death penalty by Lydia Rose, Akron Beacon Journal (September 24, 2022)
• Virginia interfaith leaders explain how other states could abolish death penalty just as Virginia has doneby Jeff Brumley, Baptist Global News (March 30, 2021)
• Surviving gun violence, opposing the death penalty by Erik Gunn, Wisconsin Examiner (August 9, 2019)
• ”Faiths and the faithful have varied views of death penalty” from the Salt Lake Tribune (June 11, 2010).
• “Texas Faith: Are Texans immoral for supporting the death penalty?” from the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog (October 27, 2009).
• ”Open Letter” from Faith Leaders regarding the 1,000th execution in the United States since the reinstatement of Capital Punishment (2005)
• “Religious Reflections on the Death Penalty” Event Transcript from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life (January 25, 2002)
• ”A Call for Reckoning: Religion and The Death Penalty” Conference Materials by the Pew Forum (January 25, 2002)
• Symposium- The Death Penalty, Religion and the Law: Is Our Legal System’s Implementation of Capital Punishment Consistent with Judaism or Christianity? (March 31, 2001)
• A Report of the National Jewish and Catholic Consultation - Co-sponsored by the National Council of Synagogues and the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (March 1999)

More Information

• Amnesty International’s Weekend of Faith in Action
• California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty
• Catholics Against Capital Punishment
• Catholic Mobilizing Network to End Use of the Death Penalty
• Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Religion and the Death Penalty links>Dead Man Walking School Theater Project
• Death Penalty Curriculum - a Sunday school curriculum for adults and older youth
• I was in Prison and You Visited Me
• Living the Questions - Questioning Capital Punishment with Sister Helen Prejean
• People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
• Theology Library: The Death Penalty
• The United Methodist Church: The Political Community: Death Penalty
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Religious Tolerance

Archival DPIC Religion News and Developments

Resources: Religion and the Death Penalty (1998-2006)