Liturgy and God's Justice for All: Capital Punishment, Catholicism, and Pope Francis with Tobias Wright is sponsored by the Carroll College Theology Department, Hunthausen Center for Peace and Justice, Archbishop Hunthausen Professor for Peace and Justice, and Dr. James and Joan Schneller Endowed Professorship in Catholic Mission and Identity. Pope Francis's support for the abolition of capital punishment and his call for a worldwide moratorium on executions during this Holy Year of Mercy have generated questions about current Catholic teaching on the death penalty. This presentation gives attention to the history of Catholic teaching about capital punishment, including how Scripture has been interpreted in connection with it, and it describes recent developments from Pope Saint John Paul II, through Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, to Pope Francis.
Tobias Wright is a former correctional officer and reserve police officer who has also served as an ethics instructor for police officers. He is a Catholic moral theologian whose research and teaching addresses violence-related issues, environmental issues, and healthcare issues. He is the Maeder Endowed Associate Professor of Health Care Ethics and an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Saint Louis University. This lecture is free and open to the public.