Education

Click on the links listed below for CMN education resources that are solidly grounded in church teaching, including such life-affirming papal pronouncements as these:

Pope John Paul II repeatedly called for an end to the death penalty worldwide. Executions are "cruel and unnecessary," he said. He exhorted Catholics to be "unconditionally pro-life."

"The dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform".

Pope Benedict XVI has continued to reflect the Church's opposition to the death penalty. Following the Iraq government's execution of Saddam Hussein, a spokesperson for the Holy Father said this:

"An execution is always tragic news, reason for sadness, even in the case of a person who is guilty of grave crimes.***Killing the guilty one is not the way to rebuild justice and reconcile society. On the contrary, there is the risk that the spirit of revenge is fueled and that the seeds of new violence are sown."

More recently, Pope Benedict applauded Mexico's abolition of the death penalty, weaving his approbation into the broader right-to-life fabric.

"One cannot insist enough on the fact that the right to life must be recognized fully.*** In this regard, I welcome with joy the initiative of Mexico, which in 2005 eliminated its capital punishment legislation, as well as the recent actions some states have taken to protect human life from its beginning,"