SALT LAKE CITY — The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is asking church members to urge state lawmakers to abolish the death penalty.

In an email Monday, the diocese wrote that Utah Catholics are in a position to do much to end capital punishment "starting now" because the Utah Legislature could consider a repeal in its 2017 session, making the maximum sentence life without the possibility of parole.

"In other words, a person convicted of the most serious crimes would spend the rest of his or her days in prison, providing that person with the opportunity to reconcile with God and make amends for the crime while protecting the public," according to the diocese.

The diocese wants Catholics to contact their legislators and ask them to consider "creating a culture of life" in Utah by repealing the death penalty. It notes that lawmakers are inundated with emails and phone calls during the legislative session starting in January, so now is the time to reach them.

The Salt Lake diocese has long spoken out against the death penalty on Utah's Capitol Hill but has not previously called on followers to lobby lawmakers before an upcoming legislative session.

Jean Hill, Salt Lake diocese government liaison, said she wanted to build on the momentum the issue picked up in the 2016 Legislature.

Rep. Paul Ray, a staunch supporter of capital punishment who wants to expand the list of crimes for which an offender could be executed, said it will be interesting to see how many calls he gets from Catholics.

The Clearfield Republican intends to bring back legislation that would make human trafficking that results in a death a capital offense. He said he also might propose that someone who purposely kills a police officer receive a mandatory death penalty.

"That'll make the Catholic Church happy," Ray said.

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What started out as a dinner conversation with a friend asking why Utah has the death penalty turned into a state lawmaker pushing a bill through the Senate to end the practice.

Hill said revenge isn't a valid public policy reason to continue the death penalty.

"I think we can probably incarcerate perpetrators without killing them and have the exact same effect on public safety," she said. "I'm not sure why we want to continue with the bloodlust kind of perspective on the death penalty."

The Utah Senate passed a bill earlier this year repealing the death penalty. The measure, sponsored by now retired Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, also cleared a House committee but wasn't debated on the floor.

Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, who carried the legislation in the House, said he's not planning to run the bill next year but hopes to continue "serious discussions" leading up to the session.

Pope Francis and the Catholic catechism support doing away with capital punishment, the diocese email notes.

"The golden rule reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development,” the Pope told Congress in a speech last September. "The conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for global abolition of the death penalty."

The email also cites the catechism, saying that public authorities should limit themselves to "bloodless" means to defend against an offender and to protect society.

Ray said he doesn't think the Salt Lake diocese push for repeal will make much difference among state lawmakers.

"I know where I am. Even if the LDS Church were to come out and say, 'We oppose it,' it wouldn't move my needle at all," said Ray, a Mormon.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not take a position on the death penalty.

The church regards the question of whether and in what circumstances the state should impose capital punishment as "a matter to be decided solely by the prescribed processes of civil law."

"We neither promote nor oppose capital punishment," according to its website.

A UtahPolicy.com poll in December 2015 found that 77 percent of Utahns who consider themselves "very active" Mormons favor the death penalty. The survey by Dan Jones & Associates also showed 53 percent of Catholics support the death penalty.

Hill said the diocese needs to do a better job educating Catholics that capital punishment is a pro-life issue as much as abortion is.

Over the summer, legislators have debated the costs of execution versus life without parole.

Legislative fiscal analysts estimated a capital murder case from trial to execution in Utah costs state and local governments $1.6 million more on average than a life without parole case. Some lawmakers question whether that's really all that much money when it's spread over 25 years of appeals and whether eliminating the death penalty would result in a marked savings to the state.

Ray is also working on bill to shorten the appeals process in capital cases.

Utah passed a law last year bringing back the firing squad if lethal injection drugs aren't available. Pharmaceutical companies no longer sell the drugs for that purpose. Ray sponsored that legislation. Email: romboy@deseretnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy; DNewsPolitics

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