She Briefed Pope Leo on America’s Death Row
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy explains why the Catholic Church now opposes capital punishment without exception, what she told Pope Leo about Ohio's death row, and why the debate may not end there.
The United States stands almost alone among Western democracies in retaining the death penalty. While executions are increasing again in several states—and methods such as nitrogen gas and firing squads have returned—the Catholic Church has moved decisively in the opposite direction, declaring capital punishment inadmissible in every case.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy has spent nearly a decade leading the Catholic Mobilizing Network, the national organization at the forefront of the Church’s campaign to end the death penalty in the United States. During a recent visit to Rome, she met Pope Leo XIV to brief him on the situation in America, including the possibility of commuting every prisoner currently on Ohio’s death row.
In this conversation, we discuss:
Why Pope Leo is speaking forcefully against the death penalty
What Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy told Pope Leo about Ohio’s death row
Why the Catholic Church’s teaching on capital punishment developed over time
The return of firing squads and nitrogen gas executions
Whether murderers can truly change and seek redemption
Why executions also harm prison staff and executioners
Whether life without parole should also be reconsidered
How restorative justice offers an alternative to vengeance
Whether or not you agree with the Church’s position, this conversation explores one of the most challenging questions in Catholic moral theology: what justice looks like when punishment, mercy, and the possibility of redemption all collide.