Meanwhile, Gov. Pete Ricketts, who is Catholic, said Thursday that he remains in support of capital punishment.
The Vatican announced that going forward, the death penalty is inadmissible in all cases and the church should work to abolish it worldwide. Previously, the church held that execution was allowable in rare cases to defend innocent lives from an “unjust aggressor.”
The change was endorsed by Pope Francis in May but announced Thursday. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will include the change in new editions of the catechism, the compendium of Catholic teaching.
The shift in church doctrine comes as Nebraska approaches its first execution in more than two decades. The Nebraska Supreme Court has set Aug. 14 for the lethal injection of a double-murderer who has spent 38 years on death row.
