Catholic Bishops of Florida Urge an End to the Death Penalty - in New Letter - as it "promotes a culture of death"
On July 28, 2026, Florida carried out its first double execution in a single day since 1964. The state put to death 68-year-old former police officer James Duckett at Florida State Prison near Starke at 1:19 p.m., followed by 80-year-old Dominick Occhicone at 6:00 p.m. [1, 2]
Inmate Details and Cases
- James Duckett: The 68-year-old former Mascotte police officer was convicted of the 1987 kidnapping, rape, and drowning of an 11-year-old girl, Teresa Mae McAbee. He always maintained his innocence and DNA testing was inconclusive. He declined to make a final statement before receiving his lethal injection. [1, 2, 3]
- Dominick Occhicone: The 80-year-old was convicted of the 1986 double murder of his ex-girlfriend's parents, Raymond and Martha Artzner. He became the second-oldest inmate executed in modern U.S. history.
Document reaffirms Church teaching that capital punishment is unnecessary and incompatible with a culture of life
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Catholic bishops of Florida have issued a new pastoral letter inviting Catholics and all people of good will to reflect more deeply on the death penalty in light of Catholic teaching and today’s criminal justice system.
The letter reaffirms the Catholic Church's longstanding commitment to the sanctity of human life and explains that, given today's secure methods of incarceration, capital punishment is no longer justified.
"In this letter, we wish to remind Catholics of the teaching of our Church against the use of the death penalty in situations—like our own—where bloodless means are sufficient to punish offenders and protect public safety," the bishops write.
The bishops argue that modern correctional systems provide effective means to protect society while holding offenders accountable, eliminating any moral necessity for executions.
"In other words, given the effectiveness of current means of incarceration, there is no morally sound or commensurate reason for recourse to capital punishment, since it is no longer necessary to protect public safety and serves no morally legitimate purpose," the letter states.
The bishops also reject the claim that executions promote justice or reduce violent crime. Instead, they contend that the practice undermines society’s respect for the dignity of every human person.
"Rather than promoting life by deterring homicides, the death penalty promotes a culture of death by declaring that we can improve society by bringing about the death of a human being in our names," the bishops write.
The pastoral letter encourages Catholics to form their consciences in accordance with Church teaching and invites all people of good will to consider alternatives that uphold justice while respecting the inherent dignity of every human life.
The full pastoral letter is available online in English and Spanish.
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The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is an agency of the Catholic Bishops of Florida. It speaks for the Church in matters of public policy and serves as liaison to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The archbishop and bishops of the seven (arch)dioceses in Florida constitute its board of directors.
https://flaccb.org/news/floridas-catholic-bishops-issue-pastoral-letter-calling-for-further-reflection-on-the-death-penalty
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