Pope Leo’s controversial take on the death penalty

Editorial | By Easton Martin | October 2, 2025

Pope Leo XIV recently said that anyone who opposes abortion but supports the death penalty cannot truly be “pro-life.” This claim is mistaken. Being pro-life does not require opposing the death penalty, and the Church has never taught that it does.

For much of its history, the Catholic Church accepted capital punishment as a legitimate tool for protecting society and maintaining justice. Thinkers like Augustine and Aquinas argued that the state had the right and sometimes the duty to execute criminals in extreme cases. The Catechism itself, before the 2018 revision under Pope Francis, allowed for the moral use of the death penalty in situations where it was necessary to defend human life. Supporting this does not contradict being pro-life. It reflects the principle of protecting innocent people.

Even Pope John Paul II encouraged limiting the death penalty and urged caution, but he never said that its moral use made someone less pro-life. The Church’s position has always sought a balance between valuing human life and upholding justice.

Pope Leo XIV’s statement oversimplifies a complex moral tradition. Equating support for the death penalty with opposition to pro-life values misrepresents centuries of Church teaching. Being pro-life is about respecting the value of human life, opposing abortion, and protecting the vulnerable. It does not mean rejecting the principle that the state can, in rare and just cases, use capital punishment.

In short, it is entirely possible to oppose abortion and still believe that the death penalty may be morally permissible in extreme cases. Pope Leo XIV’s claim ignores both history and reason. True pro-life consistency respects life without rejecting justice.