 For the first two hundred years , Christians " refused to kill in the military , in self @-@ defense , or in the judicial system " , but there was no official Church position on the death penalty . When the Church was first officially recognized as a public institution in 313 , its attitude toward capital punishment became one of toleration but not outright acceptance . The death penalty had support from early Catholic theologians , though some of them such as Saint Ambrose encouraged members of the clergy not to pronounce or carry out capital punishment . Saint Augustine answered objections to capital punishment rooted in the first commandment in The City of God . Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus argued that civil authority to carry out capital punishment was supported by scripture . Pope Innocent III required Peter Waldo and the Waldensians to accept that " secular power can , without mortal sin , exercise judgement of blood , provided that it punishes with justice , not out of hatred , with prudence , not precipitation " as a prerequisite for reconciliation with the church . Paul Suris states that official Church teachings have neither absolutely condemned nor promoted capital punishment , but toleration of it has fluctuated throughout the ages . The Inquisitions provide the most memorable instance of Church support for capital punishment , although some historians considered these more lenient than the secular courts of the period . 
 For the first two hundred years , Christians " refused to kill in the military , in self @-@ defense , or in the judicial system " , but <a href='dey_it' title='1'><mark>there</mark></a> was no official Church position on the death penalty . When the Church was first officially recognized as a public institution in 313 , its attitude toward capital punishment became one of toleration but not outright acceptance . The death penalty had support from early Catholic theologians , though some of them such as Saint Ambrose encouraged members of the clergy not to pronounce or carry out capital punishment . Saint Augustine answered objections to capital punishment rooted in the first commandment in The City of God . Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus argued that civil authority to carry out capital punishment was supported by scripture . Pope Innocent III required Peter Waldo and the Waldensians to accept that " secular power can , without mortal sin , exercise judgement of blood , provided that it <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>punishes</mark></a> with justice , not out of hatred , with prudence , not precipitation " as a prerequisite for reconciliation with the church . Paul Suris <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>states</mark></a> that official Church teachings <a href='been_done' title='4'><mark>have</mark></a> neither absolutely condemned nor promoted capital punishment , but toleration of it <a href='been_done' title='5'><mark>has</mark></a> fluctuated throughout the ages . The Inquisitions provide the most memorable instance of Church support for capital punishment , although some historians considered these more lenient than the secular courts of the period . 
For the first 2 hunnit yrs , Christians " refused to kill in the military , in self @-@ defense , or in the judicial system " , but it was no official Church position on the death penalty . When da Church was first officially recognized as a public institution in 313 , its attitude toward capital punishment became one of toleration but not outright acceptance . The death penalty had support from early Catholic theologians , though sum of them such as Saint Ambrose encouraged members of the clergy not to pronounce or carry out capital punishment . Saint Augustine answered objections to capital punishment rooted in tdafirst commandment in The City of God . Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus argued that civil authority to carry out capital punishment was supported by scripture . Pope Innocent III required Peter Waldo and thdaaldensians to accept that " secular power can , without mortal sin , exercise judgement of blood , provided dat it punish with justice , not out of hatred , witt prudence , not precipitation " as a prerequisite for reconciliation wit thedaurch . Paul Suris state that official Church teachings done neither absolutely condemned nor promoted capital punishment , but toleration of it done fluctuated throughout the ages . The Inquisitions provide the dat memorable instance of Church support fa capital punishment , although ssumhistorians considered dese more lenient than the sdalar courts of the pedad .