Pope Leo XIV has denounced capital punishment as a violation of human dignity, delivering his rebuke just hours after Donald Trump's administration approved firing squads as an acceptable federal execution method on Friday.
The Pontiff's condemnation came via a recorded video address to DePaul University in Chicago, timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of Illinois abolishing the death penalty.
"We affirm that the dignity of the person is not lost even after very serious crimes are committed," he stated.
Earlier that same day, the Pope had also spoken out against executions while aboard the papal aircraft, responding to questions about Iran's use of capital punishment.
The Justice Department simultaneously announced it would restore the use of pentobarbital for lethal injections.
The move reverses a Biden-era decision that had suspended the sedative over concerns it could inflict unnecessary suffering.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the policy shift, with the administration disputing its predecessor's scientific conclusions and maintaining that pentobarbital induces unconsciousness swiftly enough to prevent pain.
These measures form part of a broader push by Mr Trump.
Pope Leo is once again at odds with Donald Trump as he denounced capital punishment
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He has directed federal prosecutors to prioritise seeking and implementing death sentences since his return to the White House.
Five US states already permit firing squads: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah.
The announcement has deepened an already significant rift between the Trump administration and Catholic Church leadership in the United States.
Church officials have repeatedly clashed with the White House over immigration enforcement, particularly the administration's sweeping detention operations targeting undocumented migrants.
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Donald Trump's administration has been pushing for the wider return of the death penalty
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US bishops formally entered the legal fray in February, submitting an amicus brief opposing the administration's stance on birthright citizenship.
The Catholic Church maintains every human life, from conception through to natural death, is sacred and warrants protection.
A position that places it fundamentally at odds with the administration's aggressive expansion of capital punishment.
Federal death row now holds just three inmates following former Mr Biden's decision to commute 37 death sentences to life imprisonment during his final days in office.
One of the condemned prisoners is Dylann Roof, convicted of murdering nine black worshippers at Charleston's Mother Emanuel AME Church in 2015.
Despite this reduced number, the administration is pursuing capital punishment against 44 defendants.
Executions nationwide nearly doubled last year, rising from 25 in 2024 to 47 in 2025, with Florida alone accounting for 19.
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