CityNewsOKC Staff Report, Sep 30, 2026
Oklahoma City — On Wednesday, October 21, the Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN) Justice Reimagined Awards & Celebration will honor the Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City; President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The event will take place from 6:30 – 9 p.m., at the Apostolic Nunciature, in Washington, DC.
In a press release sent to CityNewsOKC and many other news organizations, the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) announced its members and leadership “would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Archbishop Coakley for being recognized by the CMN Justice Reimagined Awards & Celebration for his unceasing focus on ending the death penalty.”
On December 16, 2010, Bishop Coakley was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the fourth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
He was installed as metropolitan archbishop on Feb. 11, 2011, at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma.
On Nov. 11, 2025, Archbishop Coakley was elected to serve as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Every other year, Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN) hosts the Justice Reimagined Awards & Celebration. OK-CADP explained the event is “a night to honor dedicated advocates, inspirational visionaries, and many others who work to end the death penalty and advance restorative justice.”
The event brings together “faithful, justice-oriented people from all across the country for a night of collective envisioning of the future.”
CMN explained in an institutional statement:
“The Catholic Church is clear: the death penalty is inadmissible because it violates the sanctity of life. Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, giving them an inherent dignity. This dignity is never lost, even if someone commits a serious crime.”
Among the steps CMN takes as a national organization focused on the death penalty is this:
Oppose an Execution — When an execution date approaches, Catholic advocacy becomes critical. It’s a moment to remind decision makers that all life is sacred, and executions are never just.
Catholic Mobilizing Network believes that through education, advocacy, and prayer, and based on the gospel value that every human is created in the image and likeness of God, CMN expresses the fundamental belief that all those who have caused or been impacted by crime should be treated with dignity.
In August, the National Catholic Register (NCR) reported that “Oklahoma City Archbishop Coakley lamented Oklahoma’s execution of a condemned murderer, calling for prayers for both the killer’s victims and the killer himself while urging a more humane form of justice.”
On August 13 the state of Oklahoma put to death Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, who was convicted of killing Olimpia Fisherin Oklahoma City in 2003.
The execution was carried out at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary shortly after 10 a.m. Central Time, NCR continued.
In a press release posted to X, Coakley expressed “sadness” over the execution and said he was “disheartened” as Oklahoma “continues along an ominous path.”
The archbishop said the state was “carrying out executions with a frequency and regularity that places it among the nation’s leaders” in capital punishment.
Daniel Payne wrote for the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) News:
“Archbishop Coakley has regularly urged authorities to end the death penalty. In 2022, after a federal court dismissed a challenge to the state’s capital punishment regime, Coakley argued that an execution devalues human life and “does not ultimately bring closure and peace to those who have lost a loved one.”
Payne continued, reporting in his story that Archbishop Coakley said:
“Capital punishment does not provide justice.
“Our modern prisons are secure. Life imprisonment offers assurance that citizens are not at risk. And it allows for a conversion of hearts.”
CMN works in close collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and is a founding member of the Congregation of St. Joseph Mission Network.
Rev. Don Heath, Pastor of Disciples Christian Church of Edmond and former chair of OK-CADP for eight years said:
“Archbishop Coakley has been a leading voice in the community for abolishing the death penalty. Catholics have led the effort in the State Legislature for a moratorium to appoint a task force to implement recommendations from the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission. Coakley has issued a statement immediately after each execution for the past five years. The Coalition is thankful for his continuing leadership.”
Margie Roetker, representing St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church‘s Peace and Justice Committee for the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty said:
“The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty is delighted that the Catholic Mobilizing Network is recognizing Archbishop Coakley for his consistent statements of the Church’s commitment to the value of all human life from conception to natural death. He has spoken often about the death penalty both nationally and within the archdiocese and has invited speakers to address this issue in Oklahoma City.”
Patrick B. McGuigan — an award-winning journalist (both as reporter and commentator), a member of OK-CADP and parishioner at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church — said, “Our Oklahoma City shepherd has not run from the difficulties of his role as leader for the Roman Catholic tradition in Oklahoma. Regardless of the issue, he speaks with a powerful combination of deep personal faith and courageous fidelity to his important teaching role in challenging times.
“He speaks with clarity and without confusion, and with a pastoral sensitivity that reaches to the heart of all of us living in the ‘real world,’ while aspiring to an ultimate home-going to Heaven — to be with the Risen, Eternal Lord. He is making a difference for the good of all, including through his opposition to executions.”
Sara Bana, Amnesty International, USA, OK Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator; Midwest City Councilwoman Ward 5; and member of OK-CADP reflected:
“Archbishop Coakley has been a powerful voice for human dignity, mercy, and justice, and his leadership in opposing the death penalty reflects a deep belief in the value of every human life. I am pleased to see him recognized for his commitment to building a more just and humane criminal justice system.”
Sr. Diane Koorie, a Sister of Mercy and OK-CADP member living in Oklahoma City, commented: “Congratulations to Archbishop Coakley for being recognized for his courageous and continuing stance as an anti-death penalty leader. Advocating for justice and mercy in our day is challenging. Archbishop Coakley’s leadership is an encouragement to all of us to continue the work and to walk together on this journey to abolish use of the death penalty. Thank you, Archbishop Coakley!”
For more information about the event, visit catholicsmobilizing.org/awards-celebration.
The evening will also recognize Elizabeth Bruenig, staff writer at The Atlantic; Acclaimed journalist and renowned author on capital punishment as another prominent anti-death penalty leader.
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