a statement approved during this week's meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops...

a statement approved during this week's meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) calls for an end to the death penalty in the United States and notes that the death penalty "contributes to a cycle of violence in our society that must be broken." The statement, drafted by the USCCB Domestic Policy Committee, is the first comprehensive statement focused on the death penalty by the Catholic bishops of the United States in 25 years. It is part of the wider "Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty." This program aims to improve victims' services, to educate Catholics and other citizens about the Church's teachings regarding the death penalty, and to advocate for an end to capital punishment in the U.S.