The Catholic Church's teaching on the death penalty has slowly evolved since the time of Pope John Paul II, who served from 1978 to 2005. In his Christmas message in 1998, John Paul wished "the world the consensus concerning the need for urgent and adequate measures ... to end the death penalty." His successor, Benedict XVI, in a document published in November 2011, called on society's leaders "to make every effort to eliminate the death penalty." 54% favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, while 39% are opposed, according to a Among Americans,54% favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder, while 39% are opposed, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April and May. That represents a slight increase since 2016, when public support for the death penalty reached a four-decade low, Pew said in a June news release.

Source: CNN August 02, 2018 12:13 UTC