Utah Catholics oppose pending execution

Friday, Aug. 29, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is approaching its second execution in just over a year, this time by firing squad. Ralph Menzies, convicted in 1986 for the murder of Maurine Hunsaker, is scheduled to die just after midnight on Sept. 5, unless the Utah Supreme Court grants a delay.

The state’s last execution took place on Aug. 8, 2024, when Taberon Dave Honie was put to death by lethal injection for the 1998 murder of his ex-girlfriend’s mother. That marked Utah’s first execution in 14 years.

For the Catholic community in Utah, the planned execution of Menzies is more than a legal proceeding. “Our Lord Christ has asked us to be light for this world. When we desire evil for others or feel justified in the suffering of others, we are expressing the sin of pride,” said Fr. Christopher Gray, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. “As a pro-life people, we must defend people from being killed. Every execution in Utah a profound moral problem for all Utah Catholics.” 

Michelle Beasley, director of operations for Holy Cross Ministries, condemns capital punishment. “We are facing another death penalty execution this year in Utah, this time by firing squad. ... As Catholics, we adamantly oppose the death penalty; it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the human person.”

Beasley drew on core Catholic teaching and papal calls for an end to the death penalty. “The actions and policies that undermine the inherent worth and fundamental rights of an individual” are inconsistent with a Catholic stance, she said. “Pope Francis (via the Bull of Indiction for this Jubilee year) and Pope Leo XIV have called for an end to the death penalty worldwide. Our Catholic social teaching includes life and dignity of the human person, emphasizing the sacredness of all life.”

She also urged community-based involvement, saying, “There are several ways that Catholics are called upon to express our opposition to this violation of the sanctity of life. Please pray for all those impacted – legal professionals involved in the case and even the prison officials tasked with killing in all of our names. All those opposed to the death penalty are invited from all walks of life to pray and just be present during this crucial time. If we are to eliminate the death penalty in Utah, we must express and live our Catholic belief. All human life is sacred.”

Online Prayer Service — Join local Catholics partnering with Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN) for an online prayer service for an end to the death penalty on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. A Zoom link will be sent to parishes as well as posted on the diocesan calendar and www.dioslc.org/life-justice-and-peace. 

Churches will toll bells for two minutes at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4. For information, visit ForWhomTheBellsToll.org

Sign the petition opposing the execution scheduled for Sept. 5. Visit www.uadp.org, the web page for Utahns Against the Death Penalty. 

Deliver a petition to the Governor’s Office on the stairs in front of the Capitol; gather by 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 4 for an 11 a.m. press conference.

Prayerful and Peaceful Protest – If the execution is not halted or delayed, people will gather starting at 11 p.m. Sept. 4 for a prayerful and peaceful protest at the free speech area provided near the Utah State Correctional Facility, 1480 North 8000 West, Salt Lake City. The execution is scheduled for just after midnight.