「長久以來，合法當局在完成了合法程序後便訴諸死刑，這被認為是一種對某些罪行的嚴重性作出恰當的回應，是可接受的手段，即使方法極端，卻使公益受到保護。

今天，人們越來越強烈地意識到，即使犯了極嚴重罪行的人也不該失去他的人性尊嚴。此外，已經出現一種對國家刑罰意識的新理解。總之，迄今已經發展出更有效的監禁系統，以保障公民受到應有的保護，但同時也不能斷然拒絕給罪犯自新的機會。

因此，教會依照《福音》的教導，表明『死刑是不能接受的，因為它殘害人的不可侵犯性和尊嚴』，同時決心致力於在全世界廢除死刑。」

"Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.

Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes.  In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state.  Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.

Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”,^[1] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide."