A Missouri House bill to abolish the death penalty finally received a committee hearing, and Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski attended on behalf of the Missouri bishops to offer testimony in support. House Bill 2153, sponsored by Rep. Jim Murphy, a Republican...
While U.S. public opinion is shifting against the use of the death penalty, there was a near 100% increase in executions in 2025. The Death Penalty Information Center reported that there were 48 prisoner executions in 2025, up from 25 prisoner executions in 2024....
A recent study published by EWTN and RealClear Opinion Research revealed that a majority of American Catholics support the death penalty for convicted murderers and the broad-scale deportation of immigrants who are in the United States illegally. The poll, conducted...
In 2024, there were 25 people executed in the United States. In 2025, there have already been 44 executions, and three more are scheduled this month. To combat this rise, Catholics and pro-life conservatives joined a broad coalition of more than 50 organizations...
Bishops in multiple U.S. states are leading efforts to spare the lives of prisoners on death row. More than 1,600 prisoners have been executed since the death penalty’s re-legalization by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976. The state of Texas has executed 596 prisoners...
At 6 p.m. on October 14, 2025, the state of Missouri executed Lance Shockley for the murder of Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham. In his final public statement, Shockley said, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will...