For Immediate Release: Sep. 28, 2023
Contact: Katlyn Toelle at katlyn@catholicsmobilizing.org
Baton Rouge, LA – The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Life has urged Governor John Bel Edwards to use his full executive power to clear Louisiana’s death row. In a letter sent Tuesday, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Academy, reiterated the Roman Catholic Church (the Church)’s opposition to the death penalty and called on the Governor to act.
“Since every human life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity. Much like you, the Catholic Church believes that our society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of individuals who have been convicted of crimes,” the letter reads. “We think that the clearing of Louisiana’s death row would be a monumental step towards the abolition of the death penalty.”
The Church’s opposition to the death penalty is well-documented. In 2018, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith further cemented the core teachings of the Church, holding that the “death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” In 2020, Pope Francis evoked his predecessor Saint John Paul II to affirm that the death penalty is no longer necessary from a penal justice standpoint and “there can be no stepping back from this position.”
“The death penalty is a deeply flawed system that is perpetuating a culture of death in Louisiana,” said Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, a national organization that works to end the death penalty. “Our Church teaches unmistakably that all life is sacred, even the lives of those who have committed grave harm. We join Archbishop Paglia and the Pontifical Academy of Life in urging Governor Edwards to use his authority to clear Louisiana’s death row. In doing so, Governor Edwards would send an unwavering message that Louisiana is committed to paving the way for a culture of life.”
The governor has the power to grant clemency in capital cases after a recommendation from the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole. Of the 57 individuals currently on death row, 56 have applied for clemency. As of today, 20 clemency hearings have been scheduled.
Governor Edwards has proclaimed his opposition to the death penalty in light of his own Catholic faith, calling the practice “wholly inconsistent with Louisiana’s pro-life values.” While capital punishment remains legal in Louisiana, there has not been an execution since 2002.
