Pope Francis on Sunday called for prayers and clemency on behalf of America’s condemned on his traditional Angelus prayer from St. Peter’s Square. This is the pontiff who was not friendly to capital punishment, yet again, he calls on all faithful to pray that death sentences be reduced and life be spared.
Let us think of these brothers and sisters of ours and pray that the Lord saves them from death,” the pope said, pointing to the sanctity and dignity of human life. His remarks come amid efforts by American Catholic leaders and advocacy groups that continue to pressure U.S. President Joe Biden into action before his term expires.
Perhaps in light of the shadow that was cast by former President Donald Trump, who reinstated federal executions and oversaw 13 executions in six months during his presidency, The Catholic Mobilizing Network, the leading organization against capital punishment, is calling on Biden to commute the sentences of the 40 inmates currently on federal death row.
Pope Francis, argues against the death penalty with the argument that this act contravenes Catholic dogma. In 2018, Pope Francis updated the Catechism of the Catholic Church calling the death penalty “inadmissible” and claiming that the death penalty was a kind of attack on the “inviolability and dignity of the person.” To date, the Church calls for its worldwide elimination.
With about 2,250 prisoners remaining on death row in the United States, a call from the pope speaks to an increasingly vocal and ethical debate on capital punishment. His prayer calls upon mercy and justice, answering the call of the overall Catholic campaign to end capital punishment globally.
This therefore explains why the pontiff’s words chime in to remind the people about the commitment of the Church to preserving human dignity and hope for mercy in even the most adverse cases.
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