He emphasized that the protection of society and the application of justice can be guaranteed without resorting to capital punishment.
Pope Leo XIV described the death penalty as “inadmissible” in a message posted on social media on the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty on Saturday, Oct. 10.
In his post, the Pontiff stated: “The death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
He emphasized that the protection of society and the application of justice can be guaranteed without resorting to capital punishment. In this regard, he said that “the common good can be protected and the requirements of justice can be safeguarded without resorting to capital punishment: effective penitentiary systems have already been developed that protect citizens and, at the same time, do not entirely deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.”
The message concluded with the hashtag #NoDeathPenalty, used in international campaigns promoting the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.
The Holy Father made this statement one day after the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, criticized the planned public execution in the United States of Nidal Hassan, according to Vatican News.
Cardinal Parolin stated on Oct. 9
