Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced hours before the execution that he would not block the death sentence from being carried out despite appeals from attorneys, mental health advocates and state lawmakers that Morva’s mental illness made it impossible for him to distinguish between delusions and reality.
Death Penalty
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis: The death penalty is a “mortal sin” and “inadmissible”
Faith is a journey guided by the Holy Spirit, who helps the church grow in understanding the sinful nature of once-accepted practices like slavery and the death penalty, Pope Francis said.
Posted inFaith, News
Bishops among first signatories to pledge to end death penalty
Each person taking the pledge promises to educate, advocate and pray for an end to capital punishment.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
The death penalty is a “just form of punishment,” Oklahoma residents say
Oklahomans overwhelmingly support capital punishment, despite highly publicized problems with lethal-injection drugs that prompted state officials to put a temporary moratorium on executions in 2015.
Posted inFaith, Jesuitical
We choose life: Arkansas, Nebraska and the death penalty.
On April 30, Arkansas’ supply of midazolam, the sedative used in state executions, expires. As a result, the state has executed four inmates in just eight days. This week, we talk with Brother Joseph Hoover, S.J., about these executions and the Catholic Church’s fight against the death penalty in Nebraska. In Signs of the Times, we […]
Posted inFaith, The Good Word
The last suppers of Jesus Christ and Ledell Lee
To take Holy Communion in the face of death is to say that it is fellowship, and not food, that matters most.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
How the Supreme Court rules on this death penalty case will impact halted executions
During oral arguments, the court seemed evenly divided as it examined whether an Alabama death-row inmate should get a new sentencing hearing because he did not have a mental health expert during his sentencing trial more than 30 years ago.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Nebraska highlights the Catholic Church’s struggle with the death penalty
The fight against the death penalty lays bare the strengths and weaknesses of the Catholic approach to pro-life issues.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Arkansas completes first double execution since 2000
After going nearly 12 years without executing an inmate, Arkansas now has executed three in a few days—including two in one night.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Man executed last night in Arkansas chose Communion for his last meal
Arkansas has executed an inmate for the first time in nearly a dozen years as part of its plan to execute several inmates before a drug expires April 30, despite court rulings that have already spared three men.