On October 10th, we commemorated World Day Against the Death Penalty — a day where people around the globe unite their voices to call for the abolition of capital punishment. Every year on this day, communities host prayer vigils, press conferences, and educational events to elevate the critical importance of ending the death penalty. This day is particularly relevant for the state of Missouri, which has currently scheduled the execution of Christopher Collings on December 3 of this year. To commemorate the day, Pope Francis issued a statement on Twitter advocating for the worldwide abolition of Capital Punishment in order to protect the inviolability and dignity of human life.
Catholic advocacy has catalyzed enormous progress in the abolition movement in recent years. Since the Catholic Mobilizing Network was founded in 2009, nine new states have abolished the death penalty. Today, 29 states have either formally outlawed capital punishment or paused executions by executive action. An even deeper look reveals that 36 out of the 50 U.S. states have either abolished the death penalty or not carried out an execution for at least 10 years.
Further details of the World Day Against the Death Penalty can be found here.