Vision and Mission

Vision:  Abolition of the death penalty in the state of Georgia and around the world

Mission: To educate Catholics on Church teaching about capital punishment, encourage action to end its use, and promote healing through restorative justice.

Overview

Upholding the inviolability and dignity of the human person, the Catholic Church teaches that, in light of the Gospel, capital punishment is inadmissible and can no longer be justified in modern society.  Though the death penalty is still carried out in Georgia, Catholics and other people of faith are increasingly coming forward in opposition to its use.  In order to build on their good works, Georgia Catholics Against the Death Penalty (GACADP) is organized to promote a spirituality of respect for life that encompasses victims of violent crime as well as those at risk of execution for capital offenses.

Working directly with the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Diocese of Savannah, and the Georgia Catholic Conference, GACADP works to build a network of parish leaders and other concerned Catholics to foster ongoing prayerful witness against the death penalty. This network serves three related purposes:

  • Education

    Educate local Catholics about Church teaching on capital punishment and restorative justice.

  • Mobilization

    Provide a mechanism to share information, events and calls to action across the state of Georgia.

  • Action

    Encourage a Catholic presence at vigils, protests, and legislative actions aimed at awareness, moratorium, and abolition of the death penalty.

Guiding Principles

  • As Catholics, we believe that  life is sacred from conception until natural death
  • We uphold the Catechism of the Catholic Church which declares that “in the light of the Gospel, that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person’, and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide”
  • We also uphold the statements of recent popes, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and our own bishops here in Georgia who have called for us to create a “culture of life”
  • We work hand-in-hand with those Catholic organizations in Georgia and in the wider Catholic community who seek to promote a culture of life and end the death penalty
  • We also work cooperatively with like-minded faith traditions, organizations, and individuals seeking to end the death penalty
  • With guidance from the Georgia Catholic Conference, we engage public officials and the broader community in order to shape public opinion and influence legislators to enact life-affirming policies