Jesuit’s America Magazine Joins Diverse Catholic Journalistic Voices In Calling for End to Death Penalty in U.S.

BY ISN STAFF | March 5, 2015

Demonstrating unity across the U.S. Catholic Church, the editors of the Jesuit-sponsored America Magazine have joined fellow editors at National Catholic Register, National Catholic Reporter, and Our Sunday Visitor, in calling for the end of capital punishment in the United States.  The collective editorial recognizes the diverse readership of four publications that are often affiliated with different theological and political sectors of the Catholic Church in the United States.

The editorial which appeared electronically on each publications’ website can be found via America Magazine here: http://bit.ly/1G2oT1e

The editorial comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments regarding Glossip v. Gross, an Oklahoma case that challenges the use of lethal injection protocol as being cruel and unusual punishment.  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have also made strong statements on capital punishment recently including Archbishop Thomas Wenski, of Miami, and chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Boston Cardinal Seán O’Malley who is chair of the committee on pro-life activities.

America, is a Catholic journal of opinion in the United States and the only Catholic weekly magazine in North America and is one of a number of new elements of the larger America Media, a national work of the Jesuits in the United States. America magazine is published every Monday from September to June and biweekly in July and August and is known across the Catholic world for its unique brand of excellent, relevant, accessible and impactful coverage of faith and culture. From theology and spirituality to politics, international relations, arts and letters, and the economy and social justice, America’s coverage spans the globe. We tell the stories that matter most to the church and the world.

From their mission statements the other three publications offer varying perspectives on the movements of the Catholic Church in the world.  National Catholic Register’s mission states a commitment to offer “a perspective on the news of the day as seen through the eyes of the Magisterium.” National Catholic Reporter desires to be a “significant alternative Catholic voice that provides avenues for expression of diverse perspectives, promoting tolerance and respect for differing ideas.”  Our Sunday Visitor seeks to “serve the Church” by empowering “each generation working at Our Sunday Visitor has to make this their own, articulating it in a way that makes sense to the world of the day.”