Catholics Against Capital Punishment PO Box 5706, Bethesda MD 20824 www.cacp.org Catholic-Oriented Resources on the Death Penalty Following is a list of selected publications, visual materials, and other resources considered to be of interest to Catholic individuals and groups involved in activities relating to the death penalty, updated as of March, 2009. Please note that this list includes only resources that are specifically Catholic-oriented; space limitations preclude the addition of dozens of others (national, international, state, religious and secular) that may be of value. A comprehensive list of all such resources can be found on the website of the Washington, DC-based Death Penalty Information Center (go to www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, and click on “Resources”). BOOKS Atwood, David. Detour to Death Row. San Antonio, TX: PeaceCenter Books, 2008. 133pp. ISBN 1438277733. Bernardin, Joseph Cardinal. Consistent Ethic of Life. Chicago, IL: Sheed and Ward, 1988. ISBN 1556121202. Bosco, Antoinette. Choosing Mercy: A Mother of Murder Victims Pleads to End the Death Penalty. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001. 240 pp. ISBN 57075358X. Catholic journalist discusses her feelings following the murder of her son and his wife. Brugger, E. Christian. Capital Punishment and Roman Catholic Moral Tradition. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2003. 296 pp. ISBN 026802359X. Cabana, Donald A. Death at Midnight: The Confessions of an Executioner. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press, 1996. 200 pp. ISBN 1555533566. A Catholic prison official recounts how his experiences as warden of Mississippi’s death row led to his change of heart about thedeath penalty. Campion, Donald R., SJ, E. J. Dillon, and James J. Megivern. Capital Punishment. In: New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. [Vol. 3, pp. 83-87]. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2002. ISBN 0787640042. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2d ed. [Sections 2265-2267]. Washington, DC: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1997. 920 pp. ISBN 1574551108. Can also be downloaded from www.usccb.org/catechism/text/ index.htm Gracida, Rene H. Capital Punishment and the Sacredness of Life. In: Shepherds Speak: American Bishops Confront the Social and Moral Issues That Challenge Christians Today, ed. by D. M. Corrado and J. F. Hinchey. New York, NY: Crossroads/Herder & Herder, 1986. Hehir, J. Bryan. Consistent Ethic of Life. In: The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, ed. by Richard P. McBrien. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995. ISBN 0060653388. Holland, Joe, and McCarron, D. Michael. Beyond the Death Penalty: The Development in Catholic Social Teaching. Miami, FL: Pax Romana Center for International Study of Catholic Social Teaching/St. Thomas University, 2007. 202 pp. ISBN 141967310. Hopcke, Robert H. Catholics and the Death Penalty: Six Things You Can Do to End Capital Punishment. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony`s Messenger Press, 2004. 56 pp. ISBN 0867166134. Langan, John, SJ. Capital Punishment. In: The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, ed. by Richard P. McBrien. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995. ISBN 0060653388. McCarthy, Jeremiah J. Capital Punishment. In: The New Dictionary of Catholic Social Thought, ed. by Judith A. Dwyer. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1994. ISBN 0814655262. Megivern, James J. The Death Penalty: An Historical and Theological Survey. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1997. 641 pp. ISBN 0809104873. Theologian traces the development and changes in Catholic Church doctrine on the death penalty throughout the centuries. Prejean, Helen, CSJ. Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. New York, NY: Random House, 1993. 192 pp. ISBN 0679403582 (Hardcover). New York: Vintage, 1994. 276 pp., ISBN 0679751319 (Paperback). A Catholic nun recounts her service as spiritual advisor to two death row inmates. Prejean, Helen, CSJ, and Lucille Sarrat. Reflections on Dead Man Walking. Plainfield, NJ: Renew International, 2000. 32 pp. ISBN 0764805649. Explores the death penalty in terms of Catholic social teaching and the example of Jesus. Designed for use by both adult and high school reading groups. Prejean, Helen, CSJ. The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions. New York, NY: Random House, 2005. 336 pp. ISBN 0679440569. Recinella, Dale S. The Biblical Truth About America’s Death Penalty. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press, 2004. 320 pp. ISBN 1555536336. Analyzes scriptural teachings on who deserves death, who has the authority to kill, and required standards for execution; draws a parallel between traditional biblical arguments supporting capital punishment and arguments used as the basis for pro-slavery positions in the 19th century. VIDEOS / DVDs Beaumont (Texas), Diocese of. Our Faith, Our Case Against the Death Penalty [Video, 10 min.]. Includes footage filmed inside the Texas death row and comments by Dead Man Walking author Sr. Helen Prejean, CSJ, Beaumont Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, SVD, and Deacon Al O’Brien, director of the diocese’s Office of Criminal Justice Ministry. Includes an 8-page study guide. Available from the diocese’s Office of Criminal Justice Ministry, PO Box 3948, Beaumont TX 77704. Brooklyn (NY), Diocese of, Sanctity of Life Commission. Mercy and Justice: The Morality of the Death Penalty [Video, 18 min.]. Features footage of Pope John Paul II’s January 1999 address in St. Louis, in which he called capital punishment “both cruel and unnecessary,” plus comments by anti-death penalty parents whose children were murdered. Includes a discussion guide and a copy of Bishop Thomas Daily’s 1999 pastoral letter on the issue. Available from the diocese’s Public Information Office, PO Box C, Brooklyn NY 11202. Catholic Common Ground Initiative. The Death Penalty [Video, 28 min.]. Explores how the Church’s stance on the death penalty issue compares to, and fits with, its teachings on abortion and assisted suicide. Featured are Georgetown U.’s Rev. John Langan, SJ, Virginia legislator Robert McDonnell, Jude P. Dougherty, dean of the School of Philosophy, Catholic U. of America, and Bud Welch of Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights. Available from CCG Initiative, National Pastoral Life Center, 18 Bleecker St., New York NY 10012 (www.nplc.org). Dead Man Walking [motion picture, also available in video and DVD form]. Screenplay by Tim Robbins. Gramercy Pictures, 1995. 122 min. Adaptation of Sr. Helen Prejean’s book of the same name. Florida Catholic Conference. Talking About the Death Penalty [Video, 13 min., available in both English and Spanish]. Features introductions by the state’s bishops; seeks to provide “an opportunity for Catholics and others to come together and talk” about the issue. Can be viewed on, and downloaded from, the FCC’s Web site, www.flacathconf.org Indiana Catholic Conference. Talking About the Death Penalty [Video, 10 min.]. Features comments by Notre Dame U. law professor Charles Rice, the state’s bishops, others. Available from the Office of Family Life, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, 114 W. Wayne St., South Bend IN 46601. Kentucky, Catholic Conference of. Capital Punishment: The Death of Morality [Video, 12 min.]. Targeted to middle and high school students, but also recommended as an introduction for adults interested in the topic. Discusses the issue from the viewpoints of both Catholic theology and pragmatic social policy. Includes study guide. Available from CCKY, 1042 Burlington Lane, Frankfort KY 40601. McCaffrey, Terry. An Interview with Don Cabana: An Insider’s View of Capital Punishment [Video, 60 min.]. The former warden of Mississippi’s Parchman death row unit talks about his moral awakening to the horrors of the death penalty, the friendships he developed with inmates, and his inability to reconcile his Catholic faith with his role as executioner. Available from Terry McCaffrey, 11154 La Paloma Dr., Cupertino CA 95014. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death (Video/DVD, 15 min.). Based on the U.S. bishops’ 2005 statement of the same name. Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2006. ISBN 9781574557572. An accompanying discussion guide can be downloaded from www.usccbpublishing.org (click on “Video/ DVD Study Guides”). BOOKLETS, STUDY GUIDES, ETC. Comiskey, Paul W. Creating and Publicizing an Anti-Death Penalty Resolution for Your Parish. 2000. 50 pp. Privately printed; available from Paul W. Comiskey, 900 G St., #302, Sacramento CA 95814. Costigan, Michael. The Death Penalty: Why Catholics Should Oppose It. N. Sydney, Australia: Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, 2000. ISBN 1864202157. Dead Man Walking Study Packet. Philadelphia: American Friends Service Committee, Religious Organizing Against the Death Penalty Project. 12 pp. Designed for use with group viewings of Dead Man Walking motion picture. Available from AFSC, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia PA 19102 (www. deathpenaltyreligious.org). Judd, Augustine, OP. Catholics and Capital Punishment: The Morality of Capital Punishment According to Church Teaching. New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus, 28 pp. (Publ. 302). Available from K. of C. Catholic Information Service, PO Box 1971, New Haven CT 06521. Can also be downloaded from www.kofc.org/faith/cis/ 302/cp.cfm. Maryland Catholic Conference. Re-examining the Death Penalty. 2005. 54 pp. Designed to help clergy prepare homilies on the issue, to facilitate discussions by parish-based groups, and to encourage individual and community efforts to end the use of the death penalty. Available from MCC, 10 Francis St., Annapolis MD 21401 (www.mdcathcon.org). McCormick, Pat. Catholic Wisdom on the Death Penalty. Chicago: Claretian Publications. 1997. 8 pp. Available from Claretian Publications, 205 W. Monroe St., Chicago IL 60606 (www.uscatholic.org). Pax Christi USA. Breaking the Cycle of Violence: An Issue Packet on Abolishing the Death Penalty. 2005. Includes educational information, an 8-page brochure entitled “Sentenced to Die, Still Children of God,” excerpts from Catholic social teaching, information on the consistent life ethic, suggested prayer services, and action suggestions. Available from Pax Christi USA, 532 W. 8th St., Erie PA 16502 (www.paxchristiusa.org). The Roundtable, Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors. Choose Life: Building Opposition to the Death Penalty. New York: National Pastoral Life Center, 2000. 32 pp. Practical tips in the areas of conversion, public awareness, and public advocacy. Available from NPLC, 18 Bleecker St., New York NY 10012 (www.nplc.org). VATICAN AND PAPAL STATEMENTS Catechism of the Catholic Church (see listing under “Books”) Holy See, The, Secretariat of State. Declaration of the Holy See to the First World Congress on the Death Penalty, June 21, 2001, in Strasbourg, France, presented by Msgr. Paul Gallagher, special envoy to the Council of Europe. www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/documents/ rc_seg-st_doc_20010621_death-penalty_ en.html John Paul II, Pope, et al. Excerpts from Statements by Pope John Paul II on the Death Penalty / Excerpts from Other Vatican Statements on the Death Penalty / Catechism of the Catholic Church Language on the Death Penalty. 2003. 6-page folder. Available from Catholics Against Capital Punishment, PO Box 5706, Bethesda MD 20824. John Paul II, Pope. Statements by the Holy Father on the Death Penalty. Contains excerpts from the late pope’s Jan. 25, 1999 Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America; his Jan. 27, 1999 homily at the Papal Mass in St. Louis, MO; his Dec. 25, 1998 Christmas Message; and death-penalty-related passages from his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). www.ccedp.org John Paul II, Pope. Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 1995. 196 pp. ISBN 1555863167. Martino, Renato R. Intervention by Archbishop Renato R. Martino, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, at the 54th Session of the General Assembly on Item 116A, Abolition of the Death Penalty, Nov. 2, 1999, New York, N.Y. www.vatican. va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/ documents/rc_seg-st_doc_02111999_ death-penalty_en.html U.S. BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE STATEMENTS AND INITIATIVES Fiorenza, Joseph A. Statement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ President on the Execution of Timothy McVeigh, June 11, 2001. www.ccedp.org Mahony, Roger Cardinal. A Witness to Life: The Catholic Church and the Death Penalty. May 25, 2000 address at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. www.ccedp.org McCarrick, Theodore Cardinal. 101 Reasons to Abandon the Death Penalty. April 18, 2002 statement by chair of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Domestic Policy Committee on the occasion of the release of the 101st person from U.S. death rows since 1973. www.ccedp.org National Jewish-Catholic Consultation. To End the Death Penalty: A Joint Statement of the NJCC (a group cosponsored by the National Council of Synagogues and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs), 1999. www.ccedp.org U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty (8-page brochure). Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1574557157. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty (2-page church bulletin insert). Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1574557238. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty (in Spanish). Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1574559192. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death. Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2005. 24pp. ISBN 1574557327. Can also be downloaded from www.ccedp.org U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death (DVD). (See lising under “Videos/DVDs”) U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Confronting a Culture of Violence: A Pastoral Message of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. Washington, DC: USCCB, 1994. 36 pp. Can also be downloaded from www.ccedp.org U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (Administrative Board). A Good Friday Appeal to End the Death Penalty. Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 1999. 6-pp. ISBN 1574553275. Can also be downloaded from www.ccedp.org U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice. Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2000. 64 pp. ISBN 1574553941. [Spanish version: 72 pp., ISBN 1574558463.] Includes a renewed call for an end to the death penalty. Can also be downloaded from www.ccedp.org U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Statement on Capital Punishment. Washington, DC: USCCB, 1980. 21 pp. ISBN 1555867405. Can also be downloaded from www.ccedp.org NATIONAL WEBSITES Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty [www.ccedp.org]. A 2005 initiative of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. Catholics Against Capital Punishment [www.cacp.org]. News of Catholic-oriented efforts to end the death penalty; text of the current edition of CACP News Notes (newsletter about developments in Church teachings and diocesan- and parish-based programs relating to the death penalty); links to papal and ecclesiastical statements on the issue; FAQs about the Church’s stance on capital punishment; and excerpts from Vatican documents and the Catholic Catechism. Declaration of Life Statement [www. brooklynmercy.org/cherishlifecircle.html]. A legal document, designed to be signed and notarized, that enables a person to signify that, if he or she is ever a homicide victim, he or she does not want the murderer to be executed. Developed by the Sisters of Mercy Brooklyn (NY) Regional Community. For Whom the Bells Toll [www.curenational. org/~bells]. An initiative encouraging Catholic parishes and other churches to toll their bells whenever an execution takes place. A 6-page brochure about the program is available from Madeline Murphy, 170 Monmouth Rd., Oakhurst NJ 07755 (MMurphy627@optonline.net). National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors [www.nasccd.org]. A page on this site lists major statements on capital punishment issued by state Catholic Conferences. Another page has links to the websites of individual state Catholic Conferences, many of which contain statements on the issue and news of their current anti-death penalty activities. Religious Communities Against the Death Penalty [www.rcadp.org]. A network of women and men religious who oppose executions and who support the victims of crime and their families. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Diocesan Directory [go to www.usccb.org, click on "Dioceses"). Site has links to the Web sites of all U.S. archdioceses and dioceses, many of which contain statements and news about their anti-death penalty activities. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Department of Social Development and World Peace [www.usccb.org/sdwp/ national/dea.htm]. Site contains links to major death-penalty-related statements by the USCCB and a number of those issued by state Catholic conferences and individual bishops. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities [go to www.usccb.org, click on "Departments," then "Pro-Life Secretariat." Contains articles from the Secretariat’s bimonthly "Life Issues" newsletter and its annual "Respect Life Program" packets for parishes, some of which contain material relating to the issue of the death penalty. STATE BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE STATEMENTS Numerous statements and pastoral letters on the topic of the death penalty have been issued by individual bishops and state Catholic conferences over the years. To find those pertaining to your state, check the following list. (For the postal and website addresses of state Catholic conferences, go to the website of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors (www.nasccd.org). For the postal addresses and website addresses of all U.S. Catholic dioceses, go to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' website (www.usccb.org) and click on "Dioceses.") Alabama: Archdiocese of Mobile, Diocese of Birmingham Alaska: Alaska Catholic Conference Arizona: Arizona Catholic Conference Arkansas: Diocese of Little Rock California: California Catholic Conference Colorado: Colorado Catholic Conference Connecticut: Connecticut Catholic Conference Delaware: Diocese of Wilmington D.C.: District of Columbia Catholic Conference Florida: Florida Catholic Conference Georgia: Georgia Catholic Conference Hawaii: Hawaii Catholic Conference Idaho: Diocese of Boise Illinois: Catholic Conference of Illinois Indiana: Indiana Catholic Conference Iowa: Iowa Catholic Conference Kansas: Kansas Catholic Conference Kentucky: Catholic Conference of Kentucky Louisiana: Louisiana Catholic Conference Maine: Diocese of Portland Maryland: Maryland Catholic Conference Massachusetts: Massachusetts Catholic Conference Michigan: Michigan Catholic Conference Minnesota: Minnesota Catholic Conference Mississippi: Diocese of Biloxi, Diocese of Jackson Missouri: Missouri Catholic Conference Montana: Montana Catholic Conference Nebraska: Nebraska Catholic Conference Nevada: Nevada Catholic Conference New Hampshire: Diocese of Manchester New Jersey: New Jersey Catholic Conference New Mexico: New Mexico Catholic Conference New York: New York State Catholic Conference North Carolina: Diocese of Raleigh, Diocese of Charlotte North Dakota: North Dakota Catholic Conference Ohio: Catholic Conference of Ohio Oklahoma: Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Diocese of Tulsa Oregon: Oregon Catholic Conference Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Catholic Conference Rhode Island: Diocese of Providence South Carolina: Diocese of Charleston South Dakota: Diocese of Sioux Falls, Diocese of Rapid City Tennessee: Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission Texas: Texas Catholic Conference Utah: Diocese of Salt Lake City Vermont: Diocese of Burlington Virginia: Virginia Catholic Conference Washington: Washington Catholic Conference Wisconsin: Wisconsin Catholic Conference West Virginia: West Virginia Catholic Conference Wyoming: Diocese of Cheyenne Updated as of March 2009 by Catholics Against Capital Punishment, PO Box 5706, Bethesda MD 20824 (www.cacp.org). 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