Orthodoxy and Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment: Points to Consider by Jim Forest
Blessed are the Meek: Capital Punishment and the Gospel by Fr. Thomas Mueller
St Nicholas Halts an Execution by Jim Forest
Regarding the Church's opposition to capital punishment by Fr. Ted Bobosh
A bishop's opposition to capital punishment by Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa
The Voice of the Victim by Fr. Jacques-Jude Lepine
Doing Justice, Loving Mercy by Catherine Brockenborough
Assessing the Death Penalty: Let the Punishment Fit the Time by Danny Abbott
Bishop Demetrios Attends Signing of Death Penalty Abolition Bill in Illinois by Maria A. Karamitsos
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Jurisdictional Statements
In "Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church" adopted by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the death penalty is condemned, in part because it denies the criminal the opportunity for repentance:
http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/3/14.aspx
The Orthodox Church in America condemned capital punishment without exception at its All American Council held in St. Louis in 1989:
http://yya.oca.org/TheHub/Articles/TheChurchonCurrentIssues/CapPunish.htm
Statements from Church Hierarchs
Patriarch Alexei likens the death penalty to premeditated murder:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jim_forest/webdoc5.htm
Patriarch of Georgia condemns death penalty:
http://www.geplac.org/publicat/law/archives/glr99q1q2e.pdf , see also http://www.steele.com/fpphr/capital.html
Metropolitan Herman of the Orthodox Church in America issued statement condemning capital punishment, euthanasia and capital punishment in January 2005:
Metropolitan Evangelos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese applauded the State of New Jersey for being the first state to abolish the death penalty since its reinstatement in the 1970s:
Http://www.hellenicnews.com/readnews.html?newsid=7812%E2%8C%A9=US
Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos condemned capital punishment and calls for its abolition. See
http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/cjrelations/resources/articles/christodoulos.htm
Various Bishops condemn capital punishment
Archbishop of Ottawa and Canada (OCA) condemns capital punishment.
http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/ethics/seraphim_capital_punishment.htm
Bishop Demitrios (GOA) condemns capital punishment.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0612080312dec08,0,7764178.story
Other Orthodox condemnations of capital punishment
Pan-Orthodox Sanctity of Life Prayer Service at St. George Antiochian Church condemns capital punishment, euthanasia, and abortion. See http://www.romarch.org/news.php?id=1540 . In attendance were His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos from the Greek Metropolis of Chicago, His Eminence Archbishop Nicolae, and His Grace Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos.
-- this list of links is a work in progress; the page editor is Danny Abbott.