A Catholic advocate against the death penalty was encouraged by an annual report, released Dec. 1, that shows that 29 states either abolished the death penalty or paused executions this past year.
Missouri
Fourteen States, Others Back N.Y. Pro-Life Sidewalk Minister’s Court Case
A group of 14 states, legal experts, sidewalk pro-life counselors, and pregnancy centers are urging the Supreme Court to take up the case of Debra Vitagliano, a Catholic challenging a law in Westchester County, New York, that prohibits her sidewalk ministry outside abortion clinics.
Catholic Leaders Call for Prayer, Action After Wave of July 4 Holiday Shootings Across Us
Catholic leaders throughout the country are calling for prayer and action after gun violence scarred the July 4 holiday weekend in several states.
Missouri Lawmakers Ban Gender Reassignment Surgery, Treatments For Minors
Missouri lawmakers passed a bill May 10 banning certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender, as well as a measure blocking transgender student athletes from competing on sports teams opposite their biological sex.
‘Our Prayers Go Up’: Kansas City Catholics Turn to Faith, Dialogue After Ralph Yarl Shooting
Catholics in Kansas City, Missouri, are turning to faith, dialogue and discernment after a local Black teen was shot by a white homeowner for mistaking an address in the course of picking up his younger siblings.
After School Shooting, St. Louis Archbishop Calls for Tackling ‘Dual Crises’ of Mental Health, Violence
Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis, Missouri, called for prayers on Monday, Oct. 24, after at least three people were killed in a shooting at a St. Louis high school.
Missouri Bishop Offers Prayers After Deadly School Shooting
Bishop W. Shawn McKnight, of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, asked for prayers after three people died following an Oct. 24 shooting at a high school in St. Louis.
Death Penalty Opponents Decry First Execution Carried Out Amid Pandemic
Catholic advocates against the death penalty spoke out against Missouri’s May 19 execution of a death-row inmate, Walter Barton, whose death by lethal injection was the first execution to happen during the pandemic.
Missouri’s Only Abortion Clinic Will Remain Open for Now
A St. Louis judge issued a preliminary injunction on June 10, allowing Missouri’s last remaining abortion clinic to remain open as the state decides whether to renew the clinic’s license to perform abortions.