Catholic Church and capital punishment

Since 2018, the Catechism of the Catholic Church has stated that the Catholic Church opposes the death penalty. That year, Pope Francis revised the Catechism to read that the death penalty is "inadmissible" and that the Church works "for its abolition worldwide." Prior to this, the 1992 Catechism promulgated by Pope John Paul II had permitted the practice, reading that "the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty", though he stated that the practice must be limited only to extreme circumstances.

Historically, the Catholic Church has supported the death penalty. Figures including Pope Innocent I, Pope Innocent III, Thomas Aquinas, Francisco de Vitoria, Francisco Suárez, Pope Pius V, Robert Bellarmine, Alphonsus Liguori, Thomas More, John Henry Newman, Pope Pius X, and Pope Pius XII all wrote in support of the practice. Conversely, several theologians and Church Fathers prior to the 5th century including Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, and Cyprian of Carthage have opposed it.

Under the Papal States, the church employed state executioners, notably including Giovanni Battista Bugatti. Under Vatican City, the death penalty was legal between 1929 to 1969, but was never applied.

In the modern era, many Catholic theologians and philosophers argue that the death penalty is intrinsically evil, though this view is disputed by others. Development of church doctrine led to increasing criticism of the practice during the 20th century. Modern Church figures such as Pope John Paul II and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops actively discouraged the imposition of the death penalty and advocated for its abolition. Others, including Avery Dulles, Charles J. Chaput, and Pope Benedict XVI have personally opposed the death penalty, while defending the rights of Catholics to support the practice.

Pope Francis has strengthened opposition to the practice, including with the 2024 declaration Dignitas Infinita. In September 2025, Leo XIV described supporters of the practice as not being truly "pro-life". Their views have been controversial and led to backlash from some Catholics, including Raymond Leo Burke, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Athanasius Schneider, Scott Hahn, Edward Feser, and the Society of Saint Pius X.