While the state's use of capital punishment has doubled, the bishops ask those who consider themselves pro-life to look at Scripture and Tradition.
In a timely pastoral letter released on July 28, the Catholic bishops of Florida have addressed the concerning rise of executions in their state, urging Catholics and all people of good will to reclaim the Christian message of mercy, reconciliation, and the inviolable dignity of every human person.
Titled A Pastoral Letter on the Death Penalty in Florida, the document comes as executions in the state have more than doubled in recent years. Moving beyond partisan divisions, the bishops recall a fundamental truth of the Gospel: “God desires to offer mercy to sinners who do not deserve it.”
Affirming the Culture of Life
The bishops firmly state that the death penalty, even when legally applied, undermines the sacred dignity of the human person created in God’s image. “We desire to reverse these signs of a culture of death and further a culture of life by promoting a greater respect for human life and its inherent dignity for all people and in all circumstances, even those who have committed grave crimes,” they write.
This stance is deeply rooted in the teaching of Jesus Christ, who proclaimed a radical message of mercy throughout his ministry. The bishops draw particular attention to the Sermon on the Mount, in which the Lord rejected violence and called his disciples to break the cycle of retribution. “Jesus rejected the use of or appeal to violence and taught his disciples to do the same, insisting instead on the need to offer sinners, whatever their sins might have been, opportunities for redemption and reconciliation,” the letter explains.
They recall the Lord’s words: “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Mt 5:39). While interpretations of this passage may vary in nuance, its core meaning is unmistakable: Christians are called to a love of God and neighbor that overcomes evil with good, rather than perpetuating violence.
Examples from Scripture and Tradition
The Florida bishops offer several powerful Gospel examples. When James and John wished to call down fire on a Samaritan village, Jesus rebuked them (Lk 9:52-55). In the case of the woman caught in adultery — where stoning was permitted under the law — Jesus declared, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7). Time and again, the Lord chose mercy, restoration, and the possibility of conversion over destruction.
This teaching echoes through the Church’s tradition. The bishops cite St. John Paul II’s landmark encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), which reminds us that the dignity of every human life — from conception to natural death — is inscribed in the natural law written on the human heart. Even Cain, the first murderer, received God’s protection: “The Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him” (Gn 4:15). “Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity,” St. John Paul II emphasized, “and God himself pledges to guarantee this.”
Popes Benedict XVI and Francis continued this consistent teaching. Given the modern advances in penitentiaries and legal systems, Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 2267), declaring that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” and calling for its abolition worldwide. The letter also notes support from other papal voices for efforts to end capital punishment.
Justice, victims, and the common good
The bishops are careful to acknowledge the profound suffering of victims and their families. Nothing in their message minimizes the gravity of crime or the need for justice. Serious offenses demand severe punishment, and society has the right to protect itself by incapacitating dangerous individuals. However, the letter stresses that true justice does not require the death of the offender.
Importantly, studies have not shown that the death penalty effectively deters violent crime, and it carries significant financial and moral costs compared to life imprisonment. More crucially for Christians, capital punishment risks fueling a spirit of vengeance rather than fostering the reconciliation and healing that flow from the Gospel.
“In the end,” the bishops conclude, “while supporters of capital punishment — who may consider themselves pro-life — claim that it serves a presumed good of justice for the victims and their loved ones, it comes at a much greater expense to the common good of society, and our common humanity. Instead, as with Jesus’ reinterpretation of the lex talionis in the context of his Sermon on the Mount, we are called to a higher justice as Christians and a better justice as human beings for our common good and dignity.”
A call to prayer and action
The Florida bishops’ letter invites all Catholics to reflect prayerfully on these truths and to work concretely for a culture of life that includes even those who have committed the gravest offenses. In doing so, they echo the merciful heart of Christ, who came “not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:17).
As the Church continues to proclaim the Gospel of Life, this pastoral letter from Florida stands as a powerful reminder that mercy is not weakness — it is the very strength of God at work in our world.
