"...any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person..." 

Although torture is illegal under international as well as domestic law in most countries, Amnesty International estimates that at least 81 world governments currently practice torture.  Sadly, a Pew Research Poll in 2009 indicated that only 25 percent of Americans believe that the use of torture is never justified. 

Torture is immoral and cannot be justified under any circumstance.  The damage to survivors is long-term and devastating. It has been proven to be impractical and perpetrators are traumatized by the experience as well. 

Catholic social teaching condemns acts such as torture as "contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity." 

At their 2006 annual meeting, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) endorsed a resolution that condemns torture in all its forms. The resolution encourages support and help for victims of torture throughout the world, but especially in areas under the control of the United States government. 

The Conference of Major Superiors of Men has stated: "Each human being is created with God-given dignity and each life is precious. This dignity must always be upheld and protected but especially so when an individual is being detained and his or her rights are already limited. They deserved to be treated with dignity and protected from violence and humiliation...We believe that as a nation we stand for the protection of human rights and uphold the dignity of all peoples regardless of their ethnic or religious background." 

We denounce the use of torture, grieve for its victims, and work toward ending torture wherever it takes place.  We work to raise awareness about torture, work to ensure that it is banned permanently, and address the underlying problems of poverty and injustice that can be fertile grounds for recruiting extremists.