San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone recently wrote an article for America Magazine in which he discusses the Catholic Church’s view of the death penalty, saying that capital punishment is no longer necessary.

“Criminal justice is also social justice,” Cordileone tweeted. “When crime rates soar, it is the least among us, the poor and minorities, who pay the highest price. But today we no longer need capital punishment to protect the common good.” 

It is an opinion shared by many Catholic leaders across the country, including bishops in Arizona. The bishops in that state say they are united in standing against the death penalty. In a statement from the Diocese of Phoenix in May, the bishops said “The Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC) remain steadfast in our continued opposition to the death penalty, especially in this modern era. In doing so, we are united with Pope Francis who has advocated for a global end to capital punishment.” 

Although Cordileone concedes that the death penalty is not an “intrinsic evil” like abortion (the killing of an innocent life), he says in his article in the Jesuit publication that abolishing capital punishment is a necessary good. He cited Pope Francis’ decision to revise the Catechism in 2018 to reflect that capital punishment “is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and stating that the church works “for its abolition worldwide.” 

Cordileone backed up his viewpoint. For one thing, he says the threat of execution does little to deter criminals. He quoted a 2020 study from Japan (published by the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University), that stated, “Neither the death sentence rate nor the execution rate has a statistically significant effect on the homicide and robbery-homicide rates, whereas the life sentence rate has a significant negative effect on the robbery-homicide rate.” 

Cordileone also mentioned the possibility of killing an innocent person.

“Those of us who follow Jesus Christ must also consider this: Our Lord—who from the cross where he was wrongly executed called out, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ —teaches us that we must be concerned with the soul of the guilty,” Cordileone wrote in his article. “The death penalty abruptly ends the possibility of conversion and mercy.” 

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) cited several recent papal statements in advancing the Church’s opposition to capital punishment.

”The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation,” St. Pope John Paul II said in 1999. “A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. . . . I renew the appeal I made . . . for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.” 

Pope Francis referred to Pope John Paul II's view when he wrote “Fratelli Tutti.” In that encyclical, which is an authoritative Church document, he called on Catholics to work toward abolishing the death penalty.i

"Today we state clearly that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible’ and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide,” Pope Francis wrote in “Fratelli Tutti.”