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The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral letter urging an end to capital punishment as executions surge in the state of Florida. The church is calling for the state to reform its policies on capital punishment, which Catholics believe is morally wrong.<\/p>\n
Florida Department of Corrections<\/p>\n
As Florida continues state executions at a record-setting pace, Catholic leaders are encouraging the public to oppose the death penalty and instead promote a \u201cculture of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral letter<\/a> urging Florida elected officials to end capital punishment, arguing that the practice is against the teachings of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n Signed by the state\u2019s top Catholic clergy including Miami\u2019s Archbishop Thomas Wenski and Deacon Edgardo Farias, the letter calls Florida\u2019s record 19 executions in 2025 \u201calarming.\u201d The rapid pace in which executions are being carried out this year \u2014 11, soon-to-be 12 for 2026 \u2014 warrant a \u201cresponse\u201d from the church, according to the letter.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this letter, we wish to remind Catholics of the teaching of our Church against the use of the death penalty in situations \u2014like our own\u2014 where bloodless means are sufficient to punish offenders and protect public safety,\u201d the Florida bishops wrote.<\/p>\n In the past 18 months, Florida has executed almost as many people as all the other states combined, according to the Associated Press<\/a>. Florida has executed 30 people since the beginning of 2025, while the rest of the U.S. carried out 35 over the same time frame.<\/p>\n The Catholic letter was released on the eve of a back-to-back execution<\/a>. James Aren Duckett, 68, an ex-police officer convicted of a young girl\u2019s rape and murder, was executed midday on Tuesday by means of lethal injections. Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend\u2019s parents in 1986, is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening, barring any last minute appeals. At 80, he would be the second-oldest inmate put to death in modern U.S. history. The rare event makes Florida the first state in nearly a decade to carry out two executions on the same day.<\/p>\n Deacon Farias called it \u201ca deeply sorrowful and troubling moment for the people of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Farias, the director of detention ministry for the Archdiocese of Miami, said in this situation, it\u2019s important to first acknowledge the victims of the crimes at hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThey deserve our compassion, our prayers, and our continued accompaniment,\u201d he told the Miami Herald.<\/p>\n However, \u201ctaking another human life cannot restore the lives that were lost, heal the wounds left by violence, or bring true peace to grieving hearts,\u201d Farias said, adding that justice \u201cdoes not require execution.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Appropriate punishment\u2019<\/p>\n Gov. Ron DeSantis, who oversaw 19 executions in 2025, has pushed for state laws expanding the use of the death penalty.<\/p>\n In 2023 DeSantis signed a law that allows juries to recommend a death sentence with an 8-4 vote instead of unanimously. DeSantis pushed for the change after the Parkland school shooter, who killed 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in 2018, was spared from the death penalty in 2022.<\/p>\n When asked about his response to the Catholic Church\u2019s new letter, DeSantis\u2019 press office pointed to prior statements the governor made last year regarding the death penalty.<\/p>\n \u201cMy view is it\u2019s an appropriate punishment for the worst offenders,\u201d said DeSantis, who is Catholic, at a press conference in November 2025 in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n DeSantis said some cases got \u201cbacked up\u201d during the COVID-19 pandemic and that his goal was to bring \u201cjustice to the victims\u2019 families,\u201d which in many cases takes too long.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think the death penalty could be a strong deterrent if you had the stuff happen quicker,\u201d he said. \u201cI still have a responsibility to look at these cases and be sure that the person\u2019s guilty. And if I honestly thought someone wasn\u2019t, I would not pull the trigger on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Why do Catholics oppose capital punishment?<\/p>\n Miami\u2019s top Catholic leader seems to disagree with the governor on the point about families receiving justice.<\/p>\n In a statement to the Miami Herald, Archbishop Thomas Wenski said the executions \u201cbring no real closure to the families of the victims and represent vengeance rather than justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Wenski went on: \u201cThe execution of two elderly men violates human dignity, ours, and the dignity of the condemned. Only China, Iran, North Korea and US still insist on capital punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n In the letter<\/a>, Catholic leaders make a case for why the death penalty, in their view, is both morally unjust and impractical to society.<\/p>\n The leaders point to the teachings of Jesus Christ, which emphasized giving mercy to sinners “who do not deserve it,\u201d and offering them opportunities for \u201credemption and reconciliation.\u201d Drawing from the Bible, Catholics believe that the act of repentance should be prioritized over \u201cviolent retribution,\u201d which only contributes to a \u201cculture of death\u201d and violence.<\/p>\n The letter also states that Catholics believe human life has intrinsic value, and that the state should not be able to take that life from anyone \u2014 even if they are guilty.<\/p>\n Citing past papal statements including those from Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the letter also makes the case that in modern society, there is no longer a need to punish the guilty by way of the death penalty.<\/p>\n The leaders point to an array of practical arguments as well \u2014 from wrongful convictions to the expensive nature of executions.<\/p>\n The letter concludes by invoking leaders to remember that \u201cnot even a murderer loses his personal dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was produced with financial support<\/a> from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida\u2019s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 28, 2026 at 4:59 PM.<\/p>\n![\"Archbishop](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MIA_05_CatholicsTPS6-25-26MXF.JPG\" "\\"MIA_05_CatholicsTPS6-25-26MXF.JPG\\"")
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami speaks during a press conference to address the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding Temporary Protected Status at the Archdiocese of Miami Pastoral Center, Miami Shores, Fla., on Thursday, June 25, 2026. Photo by Marra X. Finkelstein mfinkelstein@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
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