Catholic death penalty abolition group eager for new pope to build on Francis’ legacy on issue

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Catholic opponents of the death penalty said they are eager for Pope Leo XIV to build on his predecessor’s legacy of opposition to capital punishment.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, a group that advocates for the abolition of capital punishment in line with Catholic teaching, told OSV News, “From what I understand of Pope Leo XIV, he is prepared, capable and — I pray — eager to build upon” the legacy of Pope Francis.

“From his very first words on the balcony at St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV stressed the need for a ‘synodal church’ and went on to say: ‘We have to look together how to be a missionary church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone, like this square, open to all, to all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love,'” Vaillancourt Murphy said.

Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to clarify the church’s teaching that capital punishment is morally “inadmissible” in the modern world and that the church works with determination for its abolishment worldwide.

Vaillancourt Murphy pointed to Pope Francis’ direct call for the commutation of death sentences in the U.S. last year. Several days after speaking with Pope Francis, President Joe Biden announced Dec. 23 that he would commute most existing federal death sentences to life in prison.

“Pope Francis’ death felt like a loss for the death penalty abolition movement,” Vaillancourt Murphy said. “Afterall, he was perhaps the world’s most persuasive champion to end the scourge of capital punishment. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis consistently underscored the death penalty as a critical issue on the continuum of the consistent ethic of life.”

Vaillancourt Murphy said Pope Leo has demonstrated “his heart for the marginalized,” including in his social media presence.

Prior to becoming pontiff, then-Bishop Prevost wrote in a March 5, 2015, post on X, then known as Twitter, “It’s time to end the death penalty.”

The man who would become Pope Leo shared on the same account a call from the editors of Catholic media outlets — including the Our Sunday Visitor newspaper, which has since become a magazine — to end the practice.

Vaillancourt Murphy said those posts are “a welcome affirmation of his sentiments on the matter, even before the catechism was revised in 2018.”

“Capital punishment seems to be an issue he has paid close attention to and demonstrated a willingness to step forward publicly to witness toward abolition,” she said.

A longtime missionary in Peru, the 69-year-old Chicago-born pope holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship.

“Given his global experience, his humble presence, and his serious commitment to the community and shared journey found in the Augustinan charism, Pope Leo XIV demonstrates that human dignity is at the heart of his vocation,” Vaillancourt Murphy said.

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