Part II of my series on the Death Penalty at Catholic Weekly. The problem is this in a nutshell: For centuries, the Church affirmed the power of Caesar to execute capital criminals. But since Evangelium Vitae, the Church has called for the abolition of the death penalty. Ergo (say traditionalists) the post-concilliar Magisterium is contradicting the Tradition. For this reason, the three popes (Pope St John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis) and the global Magisterium who affirm this development... Read more

When those eager to kill defend the death penalty, one extremely common lie is “We’re just thinking of the victims. What about them? What about their need for closure? Bleeding heart liberals who oppose the death penalty never think of the victims!” But then, when the victims of capital crime come forward and beg the state not to inflict the death penalty since it does not, in fact, bring healing or closure, advocates of the death penalty, bent on maximizing... Read more