In a pastoral letter on the death penalty in Florida, the state’s bishops said that they wished to “remind Catholics of the teaching of our Church against the use of the death penalty in situations—like our own—where bloodless means are sufficient to punish offenders and protect public safety.”
“We do work with determination for its abolition, and we urge all Catholics, and our fellow citizens of good will, to end the practice of capital punishment in our state,” the bishops wrote in their July 27 letter.
They concluded by “imploring God that the ethic of human dignity will infuse every element of society with respect for persons—from the most innocent unborn child to convicted felons—through people of faith transformed by the Gospel message of Christ’s love and life.”