Facts & Research
Religion
Leaders and organizations representing a variety of faiths have taken stances on the death penalty, often tying their views to beliefs about human dignity, retribution, and redemption.
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.
Aug 02, 2018
Pope Francis Formally Changes Catholic Church Stance on Death Penalty, Calling It “Inadmissible”
Pope Francis (pictured) has formally changed the official Catholic Church teaching on the death penalty, calling capital punishment “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and deeming it “inadmissible” in all ca…
Read MoreNews & Developments
Jul 15, 2020
Wesley Purkey Execution Temporarily Halted as Challenges Pending on Mental Competency, Health Danger to Religious Advisor, and Ineffective Representation
Lawyers for Wesley Purkey (pictured), the second of three federal death-row prisoners scheduled to be executed during the week of July 13, are seeking to halt his execution, arguing that mental illness and dementia have left him m…
Jul 10, 2020
Op-Eds Highlight Disparities in Federal Death Penalty, as 1,000 Faith Leaders and the European Union Urge Justice Department to Halt Executions
As the scheduled July 13, 2020 date for the first federal executions in 17 years approaches, faith leaders, …
Jun 17, 2020
News Brief — U.S. Supreme Court Stays Execution of Ruben Gutierrez in Texas
NEWS (6/16/20) — Washington, D.C.: The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed the execution of Ruben Gutierrez over concerns about the refusal by the state of Texas to allow a chaplain to accompany Gutierrez in the execution chamber.
Apr 10, 2020
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Review Texas Judicial Bigotry Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review the case of Jewish death-row prisoner Randy Halprin (pictured), who was tried and sentenced to death in Texas before a judge who made anti-Semitic an…
Feb 06, 2020
Prosecutors, Catholic Bishops, and Conservative Group Submit Briefs Asking U.S. Supreme Court to Review Case of James Dailey
Three groups, representing prosecutors, the Catholic Church, and political conservatives, have filed briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the efforts of Florida death-row prisoner
Jan 20, 2020
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
On Martin Luther King Day, DPIC looks at the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s views on the death penalty. Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence had no room for capital punishment. In one of his most famous sermons, Lov…
Nov 11, 2019
Texas Prisoner Receives Second Stay of Execution Over Religious Discrimination Issue
A federal district court has granted a stay of execution to a Buddhist death-row prisoner in Texas over allegations that the state is discriminatorily denying him access to religious services that would be available to Christian p…
Sep 09, 2019
Coalition of Jewish Organizations Seeks New Trial for Jewish Death-Row Prisoner in Texas Tried by Anti-Semitic Judge
A coalition of national and local Jewish organizations and lawyers have asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to stop the scheduled October 10, 2019 execution of a Jewish death-row prisoner to review his claim that the judge b…
Aug 20, 2019
Jewish Congregations Ask Attorney General Not to Seek Death Penalty in Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
Leaders from two of the three congregations affected by the October 27, 2018 shootings at the Tree of Life synagogue (pictured) in Pittsburgh are asking the federal government not to seek a death sentence for the …
Aug 13, 2019
Sister Helen Prejean: A Memoir on a Life of Social Activism
Sister Helen Prejean, the acclaimed author of Dead Man Walking, has written a new spiritual memoir, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey. The book, released August 13, 2019 by Random House publishers, tells the st…
