Catholic Mobilizing Network Urges Restorative Justice

“Our God, is a God of second chances,” said Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN). Krisanne was speaking on a Zoom call in June hosted by the American Association Prison Ministry Committee. She and Emma Tacke, Associate Director of Community Engagement for the organization, presented an overview of CMN’s work to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice. Attendees represented Order of Malta Associations from Mississippi to Connecticut, New York to Texas, Missouri to Massachusetts.

Key messages of the presentation included:

• CMN’s mission is to mobilize Catholics and all people of goodwill to value life over death, end the use of the death penalty, transform the US criminal/legal system from punitive to restorative, build capacity, and engage in restorative practices.
• Through education, advocacy, and prayer, and based on the Gospel value that every human is created in the image and likeness of God, CMN expresses the fundamental belief that all those who have caused or been impacted by crime should be treated with dignity. God is a God of second chances.
• CMN always connects its work back to the Gospel.
• Pope Francis states the death penalty is never admissible, and in speaking of a more restorative justice, he talks about a justice that’s based in love, in rebuilding, and in re-establishing right relationships.
• At the state level, the past 10-to-12 years have seen tremendous advances in abolishing the death penalty. Twenty-three states have officially abolished it. The governors of three states have said that no executions will be carried out while they are in office. Of the states that still have the death penalty, about a dozen have not executed anyone in over a decade.
• At the federal level, after a 17-year lapse, several executions were carried out in 2020. However, the current president is the first sitting president to publicly oppose the death penalty.
• A study from the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center confirms that the modern-day death penalty has direct links to slavery and that race affects every stage of a death-penalty case.

“We are here at Catholic Mobilizing Network to support you in your education, advocacy, and prayer efforts,” said Emma. “Our website is a great place to find resources and action opportunities.” Just some of the resources include study and advocacy guides as well as a petition urging the president to end the federal death penalty.

Please visit https://catholicsmobilizing.org/ for more information!