News & Press - Catholic Conference of Ohio

The Catholic Conference of Ohio supports Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty. The Ohio House and Senate bills to end the death penalty have now received proponent testimony and await opposition testimony. The Catholic Church, in Ohio and around the world, vehemently rejects the use of capital punishment, which disregards mercy, rejects redemption, and ignores the dignity of human life. Rather, the Catholic Church calls for a social order where the work of justice embraces tender acts of mercy, where our response to crime leads to renewal and redemption, and where every human life – no matter its circumstance, race, class, or stage of development – is cherished as an icon of our Creator.   

Make your voice heard and urge your state legislators to support Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty in Ohio. Use the following action alerts to easily send a message:

• Action Alert for SB 101 - Contact Your Senator
• Action Alert for HB 259

The Catholic bishops of Ohio issued a letter to all Ohio Senators and Representatives asking them to support legislation to end Ohio's death penalty. The Catholic Church worldwide continuously seeks the full protection of the law for human life from conception to natural death. Read the letter here.

Make your voice heard and urge your state legislators to support Senate Bill 101 and House Bill 259 to abolish the death penalty in Ohio. Use the following action alerts to easily send a message:

• Action Alert for SB 101 - Contact Your Senator
• Action Alert for HB 259 - Contact Your Representative

Catholic opposition to the death penalty is rooted in our teaching that every human being bears the image of God, regardless of the stage of life or circumstance. From the preborn, to the indigent, to the man on death row, the Catholic Church insists that every single human life deserves justice, respect, and mercy. It is the unequivocal teaching of the Catholic faith that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”  

Join the Catholic Conference of Ohio for the Mass for Life:
Friday, October 6 at 9:00am
St. Joseph Cathedral, Downtown Columbus
Celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes

The Ohio March for Life starts at 11am right down the street at the Ohio Statehouse. Damascus Worship will kick off with a pre-rally concert at 10am. Speakers include: Bishop Earl Fernandes, Senator Kristina Roegner, Representative Melanie Miller, and more. 

The Catholic Conference of Ohio appreciates Governor DeWine’s recent decision to delay the executions of three death row inmates scheduled for this summer. 

In promoting a culture of life and following the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Conference continues advocacy for SB 103 and HB 183, both of which would abolish the death penalty in Ohio. Since 1977, and reiterated six more times in statements since then, the bishops of Ohio have stated that capital punishment does not enhance respect for the sacredness of human life. 

Take action here to contact your state legislators and express your opposition to the death penalty. The Catholic Conference of Ohio looks forward to when the death penalty is only remembered as part of Ohio’s history.

The Cathoic Conference of Ohio testified in support of HB 183  legislation to end Ohio's death penalty. The message to the House Criminal Justice Committee:  "It is time for the State of Ohio to abolish the death penalty."  Conference testimony also highlighted that "the Catholic opposition to the death penalty is ultimately rooted in mercy and is eminently pro-life."  

Take Action:  Contact your Ohio Representative.  A companion bill, SB 103 is expected to have more hearings in the fall.  Read Cinciannati Archbishop Schnurr's letter to the faithful in support of SB 103.

Governor DeWine issues four more execution reprieves for a lack of available drugs to carry out Ohio's lethal injection procedure.  The governor's orders announced September 10, 2021, rescheduled executions for between December 2024 and May 2025.  The Conference commends this action.

The Cathoic Conference of Ohio testified in support of SB 103: legislation to end Ohio's death penalty. The Conference highlighted the various church statements issued over the years calling for an end to the death penalty. 

"...[In 1977] the bishops of Ohio issued a statement stating that more destruction of human life through capital punishment would not enhance people’s respect for the sacredness of the life of every person. Since then, our Conference has issued six more statements. Over the years our opposition has grown stronger and clearer.

We now unequivocally state that the death penalty should no longer be used - that it is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person – and that we should work with determination for its abolition worldwide..."

A companion bill, HB 183, is expected to have proponent testimony later in June, 2021.

Governor DeWine issued three more execution reprieves.  He stated in his order that this was due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC).  The Governor has issued a total of 24 death penalty reprieves.

The Conference commends this action.

The Ohio Attorney General’s 2020 Ohio Capital Crimes Annual Report, released on April 1, 2021, criticized the state’s death-penalty system as “increasingly time-consuming, costly, and lethargic.” (Read the Analysis by the Death Penalty Information Center)

On December 18, 2020, Gov. Mike DeWine issued the following three reprieves of execution, citing the lack of drugs for the lethal injections:

- Elwood Hubert Jones, who was scheduled to be executed on April 21, 2021, is now due to be executed on Dec. 6, 2023.
- Gregory Lott, who was scheduled to be executed on May 27, 2021, is now to be executed Feb. 15, 2024
- Archie Dixon, who was scheduled to be executed on June 23, 2021, is now to be executed on April 17, 2024.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio has been a long-time advocate for this legislation.  In testimony the Conference stated:

 "HB 136 is an important and achievable reform of Ohio’s death penalty system. Regardless of your position on the death penalty, we hope each of you will agree that our State ought not be executing persons with clearly defined mental illness. HB 136 offers a narrow path for such a determination. Conducting a pretrial hearing to determine if an individual meets the bill’s limited “conditions” of serious mental illness is a reasonable response. HB 136 will hold guilty individuals with serious mental illness accountable through a life sentence."

"We thank Representative Hillyer for sponsoring this legislation. We also thank Chairman Eklund and Senator Williams for carrying the companion bill, SB 54. We commend the work of the Ohio Supreme Court Task Force on the Death Penalty, and the leadership of former Justice Evelyn Stratton. We are pleased to join with the many mental health groups that support this legislation." 

The legislation passed the Senate 27-3 and the House 67-12.