On the eve of Florida’s first execution of 2026, churches and people of faith across Florida are speaking out against the death penalty, an issue they feel stands in opposition to their religious and moral beliefs.
“We are gathering to say that state sanctioned executions are wrong on many levels, and as persons of faith we urge restorative justice rather than vengeance,” Rev. Laurie Hafner, senior pastor of Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ said Monday.
At a press conference in front of her Coral Gables church, Hafner and other advocates from the national group Death Penalty Action, launched a Florida campaign encouraging people of faith to speak out in opposition to the death penalty…