US Catholic anti-death penalty movement marks 15 years at critical juncture

By Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Catholic Mobilizing Network*

After 15 years mobilizing Catholics to end the death penalty, advance justice and begin healing in the United States, Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN) has arrived at a critical juncture. Our assessment is that the United States is on a trajectory to end the death penalty. How soon is up to us.

Our experience over the last 15 years confirms what we have always known — that faithful Catholics have the moral voice and mobilizing power to drive meaningful change in this country. Each time we act — as Catholics and in collaboration with all people of goodwill — we are moving one step closer to an end to capital punishment in the United States.

15 years of advancements

We are a lay-led organization and the only national, faith-based group working full-time for an end to capital punishment in the United States.

On October 10, Catholic Mobilizing Network celebrates its 15th anniversary on the World Day Against the Death Penalty. Catholic advocacy has catalyzed enormous progress in the abolition movement in recent years.

Since CMN was founded in 2009, nine new states have abolished the death penalty. Today, 29 states have either formally outlawed capital punishment or paused executions by executive action. An even deeper look reveals that 36 out of the 50 U.S. states have either abolished the death penalty or not carried out an execution for at least 10 years. Indeed, the trends toward abolition are moving in our favor. 

Each year, tens of thousands of  Catholics work with CMN to contact their state decision-makers to oppose upcoming executions and to support anti-death penalty legislation.

In 2018, at the request of Pope Francis, the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church and clarified that the death penalty is “inadmissible, because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person (2267).”

CMN has amplified this clarion call of the Church. We equip ministry leaders with resources for education and opportunities to effectively advocate against the death penalty, and offer a vision of justice that is rooted in healing — rather than vengeance. We advocate for an approach to justice that is restorative rather than punitive—a way that upholds the dignity of each person, no matter the harm one has caused or suffered.

Current landscape

We can see progress, yet there is much more work to get us over the finish line. While a majority of states have repealed the death penalty, harsh realities remind us that 21 states still have death penalty statutes on the books.

In September, five different states took the lives of five men at a pace unlike anything seen in decades, displaying the horrific injustice that runs rampant throughout this system of capital punishment. Moments like these confirm everything we know to be true about the death penalty: it’s contrary to human dignity, immoral, flawed, and useless.

But the tide is turning:

-  As of July, 200 people imprisoned in the United States have been exonerated and freed from death row since 1973. Even as the use of the death penalty has steeply declined across the country, exonerations continue to occur, demonstrating the serious risk of executing the innocent. 
-  The 2024 Gallup Crime Survey reports that, for the first time ever, more Americans believe the death penalty is applied unfairly (50%) than fairly (47%). 
-  The editorial board of the New York Times, considered by many to be the most influential newspaper in the United States, issued a stinging opinion column this August that America does not need the death penalty.

Critical role of Catholics

It is against this backdrop of harm and of hope that CMN mobilizes Catholics. This is not just an act of faith; it’s a strategic investment. The national anti-death penalty movement recognizes Catholics as a critical force due to their substantial size and moral influence.

In states like Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas, where the death penalty still exists, the Catholic population is large, and its voice holds significant sway. Catholics are also well-represented in public office at all levels of government, and can rightly be influenced by faith-rooted arguments against the death penalty. The current president of the United States, President Joe Biden, is an active Catholic and declared a temporary moratorium on federal executions in the first year of his presidency.

Research shows that nearly 80% of Catholics are open to supporting legislation to abolish the death penalty. Yet many are unsure of where to begin their advocacy journey.

CMN addresses this gap by strategically engaging Catholics in regions where the death penalty persists, advancing repeal legislation through a three-tiered strategy of education, advocacy, and prayer. CMN plays a central role in state and federal repeal campaigns, collaborating closely with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, state Catholic conferences, local dioceses, religious communities, and secular abolition groups. Together, we form a strong, unified Catholic voice calling for abolition.

At both the state and federal level, you’ll find us:

-  Organizing prayer vigils, press events, webinars, and speaking tours
-  Developing resources for parishes, dioceses, and other faith communities
-  Connecting key players, like Church leaders and abolition movement organizers
-  Amplifying Catholic abolition work in the media

Moving forward together

Catholics are uniquely positioned in the United States to lead the abolition of capital punishment, once and for all. Our Catholic faith is grounded in building up a culture of life. Capital punishment is not only immoral; it’s a crime against humanity. As the Holy Father has said, the death penalty is contrary to the Gospel. 

Our experience over the past 15 years has taught us that there will be highs and lows and we will not get there overnight. As with the September state spree of executions, regrettably, there will be periods of regression.  

When a governor signs a warrant that sends a man with a strong case of innocence to the death chamber, we will not give up. We will keep moving forward.

When a victim’s family cries out to stop the state-sanctioned murder of the person convicted of taking the life of their loved one, we will pray. And we will keep moving forward.

We will keep praying and working and advocating and equipping, as we walk in the light of the Gospel. We will keep moving forward. 

Perhaps what the death dealing does not yet realize is that Catholics have a steadfast perseverance to end capital punishment, nourished by a wellspring of hope and a fountain of faith that does not run dry.

* Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Catholic Mobilizing Network is a national organization that mobilizes Catholics and people of goodwill to end the death penalty, advance justice solutions in alignment with Catholic values, and promote healing through restorative justice approaches and practices. For more information and to join the movement, visit catholicsmobilizing.org.