Sister Helen Prejean, a leading voice for the abolition of the death penalty, has dedicated her life to advocating for human dignity. After witnessing multiple executions, she became a fierce critic of capital punishment. Her book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, exposed the brutal realities of capital punishment and sparked a nationwide movement. Sister Helen embarked on a speaking tour that continues to this day.
Over the decades, she personally appealed to two popes, John Paul II and Pope Francis, urging the Catholic Church to oppose the death penalty unequivocally. Following their meeting in August 2018, Pope Francis announced new language in the Catholic Catechism declaring the death penalty inadmissible as an attack on human dignity.
Sister Helen will share her journey of faith and activism, discussing the impact of her work in the fight to end the death penalty.
This event is part of Death Penalty Abolition Week, co-sponsored by the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic and the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Originally published at law.nd.edu.