More than 100 Florida faith leaders signed a letter pleading with Gov. Ron DeSantis to pause the fast pace of executions in the state this year. Seven men have been executed already in 2025, and two more are scheduled to…
The kingdom within: Reclaiming the sacred in an age of contradiction
“The kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood, and I am there; lift a stone, and you will find me.” — Gospel of Thomas, Saying…
Abolishing the death penalty in the spirit of Easter and Passover
As we move through the sacred calendar of spring — when Jews celebrate Passover and Christians observe Easter — we are reminded of profound spiritual truths: Liberation from bondage, triumph over death, the sacredness of life. These holy days invite…
Death penalty executions on the rise worldwide
Death penalty executions in the U.S. and worldwide increased in 2024 over the previous year and reached the highest overall level in a decade, according to a new Amnesty International report. The human rights group said 1,518 state executions were…
Louisiana gasses inmate despite victim’s family appeals not to do so
On Tuesday evening, March 18, the state of Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman Jr., putting him to death with nitrogen gas. Faith leaders from around the state gathered at Angola Prison to support Hoffman’s family and to hold a public vigil…
Letter to the Editor: The moral urgency of abolishing the death penalty
Dear Editor: Imagine being given a choice on how you die, but the options are limited to electrocution, lethal injection or a firing squad. This isn’t a dystopian nightmare — it’s the grim decision forced upon Death Row inmates in…
US Supreme Court says Oklahoma Death Row inmate deserves new trial
Capital punishment opponents are rejoicing after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Oklahoma Death Row inmate Richard Glossip must receive a new trial in the 1997 killing of a motel owner in Oklahoma City. But death penalty abolitionists also acknowledge…
Louisiana set to gas 81-year-old man in wheelchair
Update: Christopher Sepulvado died in prison Feb. 21 before the state could execute him. On Feb. 17, an interfaith group of religious leaders gathered at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans for a prayer vigil in protest of Louisiana’s plan…
Church of murdered pastor supports execution. Another man of God says it should be stopped
Exodus 20 in the Bible lists Christianity’s 10 Commandment. Among them: “Thou shalt not kill.”
Trump demands death penalty be restored
Even though public support for the death penalty is waning, President Donald Trump wasted no time after his Jan. 20 inauguration bolstering federal support for executions and making sure states have access to the deadly medications needed to carry out…
Trump says Biden’s Death Row commutations ‘make no sense’
President-elect Donald Trump spent Christmas wishing ill to his enemies and wondering why President Joe Biden wouldn’t want to execute inmates. On Christmas Eve, Trump responded to Biden’s commutation of death sentences for 37 of the 40 inmates on federal…
Multiple groups urge Biden to commute death sentences of all 40 inmates on federal Death Row
Death penalty opponents across the nation are imploring President Joe Biden to commute the death sentences of 40 inmates currently serving on federal Death Row. More than a dozen groups representing Black clergy, Catholic anti-death-penalty activists, civil rights attorneys, pro-life…