Catholic Church Leaders Clash with US Government over Death Penalty. Pope Leo has issued a strong rebuke to the US Justice Department's decision to revive the use of firing squads for federal executions, reaffirming the Catholic Church's long-held stance that the death penalty is "inadmissible." The Vatican's latest statement comes as a direct challenge to the Biden administration's efforts to expand capital punishment, sparking a heated debate over the morality and effectiveness of the death penalty. As the US government takes steps to revive a practice many consider barbaric, the Catholic Church is standing firm in its opposition, highlighting the deepening divide between the two institutions on this contentious issue.
Pope Leo reiterated the Catholic Church's teaching that the death penalty is "inadmissible," in a video message released hours after the Justice Department said it would allow firing squads for federal executions.
