The following statement was issued by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley on July 22, 2020. After being on hold for 17 years, federal executions of death-row inmates resumed July 14.

In the past week, the executions of three men were carried out by the authority of the federal government of the United States. Prior to these three deaths, there had been a welcome reprieve of the policy of federally authorized executions for major crimes. A year ago, the policy was reinstituted and the deaths of the past week are the first consequences of that action.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a statement of June 30, 2020, called upon the Administration not to proceed with the policy of relying on executions as a method of law enforcement. The U.S. Bishops were echoing the teaching of Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Francis in opposing the death penalty.

My long-standing opposition to capital punishment follows from the pro-life ministry of the Church. At all times, in all circumstances, Church teaching upholds respect and protection of every person's life from conception to natural death. Whenever human life is threatened in any way, the Church is called to stand in defense of life.

Legitimizing the death penalty fails to recognize that our nation has the means and capacity to provide safety and security for all without eroding the respect for life that is essential for a morally sound society. We must share the pain, anguish, and suffering of those whose family, loved ones, and friends have been the victims of murder and other violent crimes. Rejection of the death penalty calls us to implement aternatives that acknowledge the victims' suffering and assure our citizens of justice and their safety.

As we consider the ongoing national death penalty debate, it is important to also acknowledge that, in recent years, as a country, we have come to recognize that many people have been unjustly accused of serious crimes. More than 20 people sentenced to the death penalty have been exonerated by DNA evidence, which is only available for a fraction of capital punishment cases. The issue of crime and appropriate punishment goes beyond the death penalty, and requires further public attention, especially with regard to sentencing and the high rate of incarceration among minority communities in the United States.

In 2018, Pope Francis added the opposition to the death penalty to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and at a meeting with the International Commission Against the Death Penalty affirmed that every life is sacred, holding up the primacy of mercy over justice. The Pope shared with the Commission that in the light of the Gospel, the death penalty is always inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. It is my prayer that our nation can recognize the truth of the Holy Father's words.