Pope Francis has urged everyone concerned to abolish death penalty from the face of the world. Addressing devotees gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, the head of the Catholic Church said, "The commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' has absolute value, and concerns both the innocent and the guilty."
Speaking a day ahead of a global meet for the abolition of death penalty in Rome, the Pope invoked the conscience of world leaders urging them to work for a global consensus on the abolition of capital punishment. In his address on Sunday, the 79-year-old pontiff said, "I appeal to the consciences of those who govern to reach an international consensus to abolish the death penalty," NPR reported.
At the same time, the Pope appealed to all Catholic politicians across the world to make "a courageous and exemplary gesture," and seek a moratorium on all executions for the period of the church's present Holy Year that concludes in November. It is believed that the pope used some of the harshest words against capital punishment with a view but his weight behind the international conference being organized a global Catholic peace and justice group called Sant'Egidio Community.
Pointing out that currently there is an increasing opposition to the death penalty, the pontiff emphasized that capital punishment should also be done away with the rightful defense of society, as the modern means exist to repress crime efficiently without denying the person who has committed a crime the opportunity of rehabilitating him or her.
Francis also stressed on the position upheld by Pope John Paul II, his predecessor at the Vatican, repeatedly saying that in modern society, there is no justification for the death penalty. For several centuries, the Catholic Church has been in favor of capital punishment in extreme cases, but the stand of the church started changing after John Paul became the Pope, NBC quoted Reuters.
Following his elevation to the post of pope about three years back, Francis also visited some jails to personally examine the conditions prevailing in the prisons. Last week, he visited a prison in Mexico and stressed on the need for better conditions in the jails.
He later urged all Christians as well as men of good will also to work for improving the conditions prevailing in most prisons. According to Pope Francis, it is important that everyone should respect the human dignity of men and women who have been denied of their freedom.
Earlier, Pope Francis also condemned life imprisonment describing the punishment as a hidden death penalty. He advocated for efforts for rehabilitating even the most hardened criminals.
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