In his prayer intention for September, Pope Francis calls on all people of good will “to mobilize for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the world.”
“Each day, there is a growing ‘NO’ to the death penalty around the world,” says Pope Francis in the video released on Wednesday 31 August announcing his prayer intention for September. “For the Church, this is a sign of hope.”
In The Pope Video, produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the Holy Father maintains that the death penalty is not necessary “from a legal point of view.”
He argues that “society can effectively repress crime without definitively depriving offenders of the possibility of redeeming themselves.”
He adds that there must be “a window of hope” in every legal sentence. Capital punishment, he says, “offers no justice to victims, but rather encourages revenge. And it prevents any possibility of undoing a possible miscarriage of justice.”
Always possible to repent
Pope Francis goes on to say that the death penalty is “morally inadmissible” because it destroys life, and insists that “up to the very last moment, a person can convert and change.”
The Pope argues further that “in the light of the Gospel, the death penalty is unacceptable, because the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ refers to both the innocent and the guilty.”
Pope Francis concludes his message with an appeal for all people of goodwill to mobilize for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the world.”
“Let us pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country.”
Below is a translation of the Pope’s video message
Each day, there is a growing “NO” to the death penalty around the world. For the Church, this is a sign of hope.
From a legal point of view, it is not necessary.
Society can effectively repress crime without definitively depriving the offenders of the possibility of redeeming themselves.
Always, in every legal sentence, there must be a window of hope.
Capital punishment offers no justice to victims, but rather encourages revenge.
And it prevents any possibility of undoing a possible miscarriage of justice.
Additionally, the death penalty is morally inadmissible, for it destroys the most important gift we have received: life. Let us not forget that, up to the very last moment, a person can convert and change.
And in the light of the Gospel, the death penalty is unacceptable. The commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” refers to both the innocent and the guilty.
I, therefore, call on all people of goodwill to mobilize for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the world.
Let us pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country.
With thanks to Vatican News, where this article originally appeared.
