Kristen Whitney Daniels

With capital punishment called "inadmissible," activists see an end to "any remaining ambiguity about the Church's teaching against the death penalty" — and they hope for action.

A 270-page report, released June 25, outlined recommendations to address problems with capital punishment, which the commission ultimately called "unnecessary."

Hidalgo v. Arizona questions state's broad definition of death-eligible first-degree murder, but justices say there was not enough evidence work done at the lower court level. Activists had looked to Hidalgo case as having potential to end capital punishment in the U.S.

In recent years, the movie industry hasn't shied away from Catholicism — mostly seen through the lens of the sex abuse scandal. However, a new film seeks to expand the discussion on injustices in and outside the church.

Msgr. Jack Harris calls corrections ministry "the calling underneath it all"; but his prison ministry only scratches the surface of 43 years of priesthood, serving both victims and perpetrators. 

Following national attention and a vocal social media campaign, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens granted a stay of execution hours before death row inmate Marcellus Williams was to be executed on Aug. 22.