Just three people have been executed in the past 56 years in Pennsylvania, yet more than 466 death warrants have been signed since 1985.Currently there are 150 inmates on death row. In 2012, the Joint State Government Commission was asked to study the practice and process of capital p
From Vatican Radio: Pope Francis has said that “all Christians and people of good will are called today to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty,” but also to improve conditions in prisons, out of respect for the human dignity of prisoners. In particular, the Holy Fathe
Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf made a bold decision to grant a temporary reprieve to inmate Terrance Williams, who was scheduled to be executed on March 4. The governor vowed to grant other reprieves, in effect declaring a moratorium on executions in Pennsylvania. Williams would have been t
In the last four months, three men were scheduled to be executed – Terrance Williams, Hubert Michael and Mark Spotz. Last minute appeals delayed those cases, which are now pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and a federal appeals court. Decisions will be made about the
What does the Catholic Church teach about capital punishment? Pennsylvania has 202 inmates on death row. Execution warrants were signed last month for four of them. One received a stay, two may have other appeals, but one appears to have exhausted his options – Terrance Williams. His
Two hundred and five Pennsylvanians currently sit on death row. In Pennsylvania, even though hundreds of people have been sentenced to death, only three people – those who waived their right to appeal – have been executed since 1978 (the year the General Assembly reinstated the death
The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) bids farewell today to former Archbishop of Philadelphia, Cardinal Anthony Bevilaqua, who died last week at the age of 88. The Solemn Funeral Mass for Cardinal Bevilacqua is scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, February 7, at
by Francis J. Viglietta and Rev. Sandra Strauss It’s time to re-examine the death penalty in Pennsylvania. Fifteen diverse, faith-based, legal, and civil rights organizations, including the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, form the Pennsylvani
After serving 19 years behind bars, Thomas Doswell was released after DNA evidence clearly proved his innocence in a brutal rape case. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Nationally, 175 people have been exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing. At least eight invol
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