More than 300 faith leaders from at least 17 faith traditions, including Catholics, sent a letter to members of the Ohio General Assembly urging lawmakers to bring an end to the death penalty in their state.
“As people of faith, we are committed to policies rooted in justice and grounded in the promise of redemption,” the May 4 letter said.
“While we come from varied backgrounds and political stances, we stand together against state-sanctioned murder,” it said. “Instead, we are motivated by the restorative power of empathy and investments in transformation.”
The letter, led by the single-issue organization Ohioans to Stop Executions (OTSE), comes as Ohioans await a statement on the death penalty by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Last month, the governor said he would issue a statement in the week after the primary election, which is May 5.
DeWine, a Catholic, has delayed several executions as Ohio has had difficulty in obtaining the drugs needed to administer lethal injection.
In the letter, the faith leaders state that “now is the time for Ohio to rid itself of its outdated and immoral death penalty.”
“As people who are motivated by faith and sparked by profound love for the common good, we are calling on you to endorse the bipartisan, multi-faith effort to abolish the death penalty in Ohio,” they said.
The faith leaders affirmed they “hold deep care and respect for victims and co-victims of crime, and we most certainly are not opposed to accountability for rightfully convicted persons,” however: “We believe that the death penalty serves no moral purpose.”
“Instead, it is a hollow instrument of death that offers no redemption, no closure, and no transformation for anyone involved,” the letter said. “The death penalty monopolizes human and financial resources that would be better spent if applied to the co-victims whose glaring list of needs often goes unmet.“
The signatories included parish priests, Protestant pastors, and Catholic religious sisters. It also includes non-Christians, such as rabbis, Muslims, Zoroastrian, and unitarian universalists.
Marsha Forson, associate director of Social Concerns at the Catholic Conference of Ohio, spoke during a news conference to announce the letter, noting the continued celebration of the Easter season.
“What does this mystery grant us but the hope of life — life eternal,” she said. “Hope that one day all things will be placed in proper order by justice and peaceful reign and every tear will be wiped from our eyes.”
Forson said “each person’s fundamental identity and value is renewed not in the good or evil [that the person] has done but in the invaluable self-sacrificing love of one.” She said “there is no longer any value that can be placed on a human life other than the inestimable price of Christ’s sacrifice.”
The bishops did not sign onto the OTSE letter but instead sent their own separate letter in late March, which also urged Ohio lawmakers to abolish the death penalty.
Brian Hickey, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio, said in a statement to EWTN News that lawmakers have “the unique opportunity” with House Bill 72, under consideration in a House committee.
That bill, he explained, would “end state-sanctioned death in Ohio by abolishing the death penalty while also ensuring state funds will not pay for abortion or assisted suicide.”
“We are actively meeting with Ohio legislators and urging them to stand against the culture of death and defend the sanctity of life in all stages and circumstances, as Pope Leo XIV continues to urge Catholics and all people of goodwill to do,” he said.
On April 24, Leo provided a message to activists at DePaul University celebrating the 15th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois, in which the Holy Father offered his “support to those who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States of America and around the world.”
“I pray that your efforts will lead to a greater acknowledgement of the dignity of every person and will inspire others to work for the same just cause,” Leo said.
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