The Consistent Call: Catholic Teaching on the Death Penalty
Our final topic during this Respect Life Month demonstrates that the Church’s social teaching does not fully embrace either political party’s platform in this day and age. While the Democrat Party platform fails to uphold life in various ways (abortion, contraception, IVF, euthanasia), the Republican Party platform also fails to promote a consistent ethic of life (contraception, IVF, death penalty). The Catholic Church's stance on the death penalty is firmly rooted in the inviolable dignity of the human person—a principle that remains constant throughout our tradition. This teaching has particular resonance in the American context, especially here in Wisconsin.
It is true that historically, the Church recognized the legitimate, though strictly limited, authority of the State to impose capital punishment if it was the absolute last resort necessary to protect society from an aggressor. This acceptance was always tempered by the conviction that punishment should serve justice and offer the possibility of redemption.
This perspective has been refined over time, emphasizing a deeper application of the principle of life. This development became clear when Pope St. John Paul II stressed the practical shift, noting in Evangelium Vitae (1995) that instances requiring the death penalty are vanishing: "The cases in which the execution of the culprit is absolutely necessary are very rare, if not practically non-existent."
In the U.S., the Church’s position aligns with the path taken by our own state. Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853, becoming one of the first states in the nation to do so. This decision, prompted in part by a botched public execution two years prior, showed an early civic recognition that life imprisonment was a sufficient and more humane means of protecting society.
This historical action supports the Catholic Church's consistent moral perspective, which was formalized by Pope Francis in 2018. The Church declares that the death penalty is "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person."
This current teaching reflects the fullest expression of our faith tradition, built upon centuries of moral reasoning:
"If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person."
Today, the Church calls upon us to uphold the dignity of life for all—from conception to natural death, and for every person, including those confined by our justice system. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes the "consistent ethic of life.” We are called to work for penal systems that truly serve justice, offer hope, and preserve the fundamental dignity of every child of God. If this is something you are passionate about and you want to find ways to support inmates in their walk with God, reach out to myself or Gail Schlicht, our Director of the Family Life Center, to learn about upcoming prison ministry opportunities.