December 23, 2024
The California Conference of Catholic Bishops released the following statement regarding President Biden’s pardoning of 37 federal death sentences:
“The Catholic bishops of California applaud President Biden’s unprecedented decision to commute sentences for 37 federal death row inmates this morning.
“These commutations, just prior to both Christmas and the beginning of the Jubilee Year, speak to the inviolable dignity of every human person and illustrate the great need for mercy in our world. Today’s action is a courageous and vital step toward acknowledging capital punishment’s harm to society and resolving faults in our criminal justice system. We continue to pray for the three remaining men on federal death row, asking that mercy be granted to them as well.
“The federal death penalty has failed to deter crime or improve public safety, risks the execution of innocent people, and runs counter to the belief in the dignity of all human life and the possibility of redemption.
“Commuting sentences, granting clemency, and ultimately repealing the death penalty are facets of hope in action that reflect our hope during this Jubilee Year. In the words of Pope Francis, ‘a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.’
“We call on Governor Newsom to follow President Biden’s leadership on this issue and grant clemency for California’s 605 death row inmates, instead sentencing them to life without the possibility of parole. California has the adequate means to defend human dignity and public safety without recourse to capital punishment.
“The Conference continues to advocate to end the use of the death penalty and the restoration of hope for every person.”