Pope Francis calls for abolition of death penalty worldwide

Pope Francis has dedicated his prayer video for September, to address the death penalty and call for its abolition worldwide. The Holy Father invites us to pray "that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country."

Pope Francis says:

"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."

According to Amnesty International, there are currently at least 28,670 people on death row worldwide. That number is likely much greater because many countries do not properly report statistics.

In 2021, there were approximately 2,474 people on death row in the United States. California had the largest death row population, totalling approximately 699 people. Florida trails behind in a distant second place with 338 people, and Texas is third with 198 individuals on death row. As of August 2022, 190 people have been exonerated from death row. Florida leads the US in death row exonerations, having exonerated 30 people since 1976.

144 Countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Some countries that still have death penalty laws on the books include: China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Oklahoma recently announced they will execute 25 people in the next 24 months.

LINKS

Watch this month's video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpv3zCBJzSc&t=7s

See also

Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer): www.popesprayer.va/

The Pope Video: https://thepopevideo.org/

Made in collaboration of Vatican Media: www.vaticannews.va and the Catholic Mobilizing Network https://catholicsmobilizing.org/