What does the Church say about the death penalty?
Answered on video by St. Paul Center
Video: The Death Penalty and the Catholic Church (A Brief Summary), St. Paul Center, published Mar 1, 2022. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube
In short: The Church now teaches, in light of the Gospel, that the death penalty is inadmissible. CCC 2267
The answer, in writing
The death penalty was long considered an acceptable, if extreme, means of protecting the common good. CCC 2267
Today the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” CCC 2267
Pope Francis revised this paragraph in 2018. Even the worst person never loses their dignity, or the chance to repent.
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How we know · 1 Catechism paragraph
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2267 (official text on vatican.va).
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