Welcome to CACP's website Francis (Frank) A. McNeirney of Bethesda, MD passed away  suddenly of a heart attack on Thursday, December 1, 2011.  Twenty years ago he and his wife, Ellen founded Catholics Against Capital Punishment (CACP). Thoughts for the Future: As we mentioned in our August News Notes Observations Column, if we were Catholic bishops, we would have had to submit our resignations to the Holy Father.  It would seem that the Good Lord has accepted Franks and since I am not able to continue CACP, mine as well.  I encourage all our members (who all have been so supportive and generous with their input, prayers and contributions), to continue in this effort to abolition the death penalty by supporting the CMN group or another state, local or national group.    Thank you for your very needed support, input and prayers over the last twenty years.  God bless you.  Ellen News updates: * Pope praises efforts to end death penalty * Oregon archbishop commends governor's halt to executions * Theologians call for end to executions; DiNardo message criticized For details on the above items, as well as news about other Catholic-oriented efforts to end capital punishment in the U.S. (updated as of November 30, 2011), click on the 'WHAT'S NEW' box at left. For the text of the most recent (August 31, 2011) issue of our printed newsletter, CACP News Notes, click on the "CACP`s NEWSLETTER" box at left. To learn about the new "Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Use of the Death Penalty," click here. To learn about the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' "Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty," click here. About CACP: Catholics Against Capital Punishment was founded in 1992 to promote greater awareness of Catholic Church teachings that characterize capital punishment as unnecessary, inappropriate and unacceptable in today's world. It does this in the following ways: - By disseminating news of Catholic-oriented anti-death-penalty efforts through its newsletter, CACP News Notes, and this website. - By communicating the Church's teachings on the death penalty issue to federal and state lawmakers, especially those who are Catholic, urging them to oppose proposed legislation imposing or extending the use of the death penalty, and to work for repeal of such laws currently on the books. - By encouraging members of the Catholic hierarchy and clergy in the U.S. to speak out more forcefully against capital punishment. "Capital punishment feeds the cycle of violence in society by pandering to a lust for revenge. It brutalizes us and deadens our sensitivities to the precious nature of every single human life." --Most Rev. David B. Thompson, Bishop of Charleston, S.C., December, 1998