USA - Utah. Catholic Diocese pushes repeal of death penalty.

Catholic Diocese pushes repeal of death penalty. The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is urging its followers to push the Utah State Legislature to repeal the death penalty. "Pope Francis has called all Catholics to promote the culture of life by specifically working to end the use of the death penalty," the diocese said in an email to followers on Monday. In the email, the diocese revealed that legislation was being planned for the 2017 session repealing the death penalty in Utah. It did not say who would be sponsoring the bill. Last year, a measure to end capital punishment in Utah, sponsored by Sen. Steve Urquhart, R, failed to advance in the final days of the legislative session. Urquhart recently resigned from office because of a change in employment.