Overview
- Pope Leo XIV, whose video message to DePaul University was released Friday, reaffirmed Catholic teaching that the death penalty is inadmissible and urged abolition in the U.S. and worldwide.
- Following Friday's Justice Department announcement, federal executions will resume with firing squads permitted and single‑drug lethal injections using pentobarbital reinstated.
- The department said the changes restore its duty to carry out lawful death sentences once appeals end and will streamline internal steps to move capital cases faster.
- Pentobarbital, a sedative used in lethal injections, had been halted under Biden over pain concerns, while current officials argue it renders prisoners unconscious quickly enough to prevent suffering.
- Only three inmates remain on federal death row after Biden-era commutations, as President Trump directs prosecutors to prioritize and speed capital cases in a clash that widens the public divide with the Vatican.