Most of the links here refer to the situation in the United States. The death penalty has been abolished in most other English speaking countries.
Catechism of the Catholic Church on Capital PunishmentSee section 2267.
Catholics Against Capital Punishment
CACP is a national advocacy organization working for the abolition of the death penalty in the U.S. Its index includes information on it background and goals, the Catholic Catechism language on the death penalty, a bibliography of statements by U.S. Catholic Bishops on the death penalty and related links. This site would be helpful to Catholic Educators who are discussing the topic of capital punishment in their classrooms and want to share with their students the Catholic perspective on this issue. — V. Zucchi
Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty
The United States Bishops have extensive resources on capital punishment. “Welcome to the Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty! On this Web site, you will find resources to help you learn about the Catholic Church’s teaching and action to end the use of the death penalty in the United States.” –from the website
The Death Penalty and the Catholic Church
“The Catholic Church opposes the death penalty in nearly all cases, and Pope John Paul II often spoke out against capital punishment. Read Catholic teaching, personal stories and a prayer to end the death penalty”.–from the website. This site includes several articles from American Catholic’s files including Catholic Update and Scripture from Scratch.
First Things Special Issue on Catholicism & Capital Punishment
Article by Cardinal Avery Dulles on Capital Punishment.
Sr. Helen Prejean
Sr. Helen Prejean has been instrumental in asking questions about capital punishment. She was the subject of the film, “Dead Man Walking”. “The death penalty is one of the great moral issues facing our country, yet most people rarely think about it and very few of us take the time to delve deeply enough into this issue to be able to make an informed decision about it. This website is my invitation to you to take that time, to learn, to explore and to reflect. I hope you will accept my invitation.” –from the website