Catholics Against Capital Punishment

A national advocacy organization working  for the abolition of the death penalty in the U.S.

VATICAN SAYS ITS CAMPAIGN TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF ITS DEFENSE OF HUMAN LIFE AT ALL STAGES

In a declaration issued to the first World Congress on the Death Penalty, held June 21-23 in Strasbourg, France, the Holy See termed the death penalty "a sign of desperation," and said it has pursued its abolition as "an integral part of the defense of human life at every stage of its development."

During the event, leaders of parliaments from four continents signed a declaration calling for a global ban on capital punishment, and specifically criticized the U.S. and China for their continuing recourse to executions. The conference was organized by Europe's leading human rights organization, the 43-nation Council of Europe, and the French anti-death penalty group Ensemble Contre la Peine de la Mort. It featured a June 22 ecumenical religious service in Strasbourg Cathedral and a silent march the next day in the streets of the city.

"The universal abolition of the death penalty," the Vatican statement said, "would be a courageous reaffirmation of the belief that humankind can be successful in dealing with criminality, and of our refusal to succumb to despair before such forces, and as such it would regenerate new hope in our very humanity."

The statement was formally presented by the head of the Vatican delegation to the meeting, Msgr. Paul Gallagher, an English-born member of the Vatican diplomatic corps.