The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to stay the July 31 execution of Edward Zakrzewski and commute his sentence to life without parole. Zakrzewski was convicted in 1994 of killing his wife and two young children.
In a letter to the governor, FCCB Executive Director Michael Sheedy acknowledged the horror of the crime and the suffering of the victims’ loved ones, but emphasized the Church’s teaching that all life is sacred.
“The alternative to the death penalty is not letting murderers go free,” Sheedy wrote, “but life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”
Catholics in the Diocese of St. Augustine will gather for pray for Zakrzewski, for the family of his victims, and for Gov. DeSantis as he considers the request to stay the execution. ahead of the scheduled execution, praying for Zakrzewski, the victims’ family and the governor.
Click here to read the full letter.
Click here for locations in the diocese that will hold Prayer Vigils or Mass ahead of the execution.
