Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone tweeted about his recent article in America Magazine that focused on the Catholic teaching on the death penalty, saying that in the modern era capital punishment is no longer necessary.  

“Criminal justice is also social justice,” Cordileone tweeted. “When crime rates soar, it is the least among us, the poor and minorities, who pay the highest price. But today we no longer need capital punishment to protect the common good.” 

Charles Chaput, archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, agreed.

“Killing the guilty is still the wrong choice for a civilized nation,” Chaput said in a 2019 article. “Why? Because it accomplishes nothing. It does not bring back or even honor the dead. It does not ennoble the living. And while it may satisfy society’s anger for awhile, it cannot even release the murder victim’s loved ones from their sorrow, because only forgiveness can do that.” 

Cordileone, archbishop of San Francisco, said abolishing the death penalty, though not an “intrinsic evil” such as abortion (the killing of an innocent life), is a necessary good. He cited Pope Francis’ revision of the Catechism in 2018, where the Vatican said that capital punishment “is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and stated that the church works “for its abolition worldwide.” 

The archbishop provided several reasons, including that capital punishment does not act as a deterrent. He claimed that states with the death penalty tend to see more capital crimes being committed. He cited a 2020 study from Japan (published by the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University) that stated, “Neither the death sentence rate nor the execution rate has a statistically significant effect on the homicide and robbery-homicide rates, whereas the life sentence rate has a significant negative effect on the robbery-homicide rate.” 

Cordileone is also concerned with the possibility of executing an innocent person.

“Those of us who follow Jesus Christ must also consider this: Our Lord—who from the cross where he was wrongly executed called out, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’—teaches us that we must be concerned with the soul of the guilty,” he said. “The death penalty abruptly ends the possibility of conversion and mercy.” 

The Catholic Church opposes the death penalty, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said, referencing several recent papal statements.

“The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation,” St. Pope John Paul II said in 1999. “A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. . . . I renew the appeal I made . . . for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.” 

Pope Francis reiterated Pope John Paul II's opposition to the death penalty when he wrote “Fratelli Tutti.” In it, he called for Catholics to work toward its abolition, America Magazine said. 

"Today we state clearly that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible’ and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide,” the pope said in his encyclical. A papal encyclical is an authoritative document.