Vatican News
Eight prelates—including Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Palm Beach Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, and several other bishops from across the state—have issued a statement in response to the high number of executions carried out in Florida.
In 2025, the state executed 19 death row inmates, contributing to an increase in executions across the United States. In 2026, 12 prisoners have been executed in Florida so far. On July 28, a double execution was carried out, executing two men convicted of murders.
In their letter, Florida’s Catholic bishops, who regularly advocate for those sentenced to death in the state, called on Catholics to “reconsider” the issue of the death penalty in light of Church teaching and its moral authority, Vatican News reports.
“We wish to remind Catholics of our Church’s teaching opposing the use of the death penalty in situations—such as ours—when bloodless means are sufficient to punish criminals and ensure public safety,” the bishops wrote. They also pointed out that Jesus revealed in his teaching that “God desires to show mercy to sinners who do not deserve it.”
The signatories of the statement acknowledged that some passages of Scripture “justify the death penalty at least under certain circumstances,” but argued that “the fullest revelation of God’s will” leads to the rejection of capital punishment.
They also invoked papal teachings, including the encyclical “Evangelium vitae” by St. John Paul II, in which the pope emphasized that the development of modern and secure penitentiary systems has made the justification for the death penalty “very rare, if not practically nonexistent.”
At the same time, the bishops emphasized the immense suffering caused by the most serious crimes and the need to show “deep compassion and empathy” to the families of murder victims.
“We agree that the perpetrators of such crimes should be brought to justice, but we do not agree that justice is best served by another act of killing,” they wrote.
The bishops announced that they will continue to work toward the abolition of the death penalty. Furthermore, they called on both Catholics and “fellow citizens of good will” to take action to end its use.
Although an increase in executions was recorded in the United States in 2025, data indicate growing public opposition to the death penalty. This is reflected both in poll results and in the declining number of new death sentences.
“Data from the Death Penalty Information Center indicate that the number of new death sentences dropped in 2025 from 24 to 22, with only 14 juries nationwide issuing unanimous death verdicts.
In turn, a Gallup poll conducted in 2025 showed that public support for the death penalty reached its lowest level in 50 years at 52 percent. At the same time, 44 percent of Americans oppose the death penalty, representing the highest level of opposition recorded since 1966.
