Pope calls for worldwide abolition of death penalty

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead a Jubilee audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, February 20, 2016.

Reuters/Tony Gentile


VATICAN CITY Pope Francis on Sunday called for a worldwide ban on the death penalty, saying the commandment "you shall not kill" was just as valid for the guilty as for the innocent.


Speaking to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, the pope also called on Catholics worldwide to work for a moratorium on any executions during the Church's current Holy Year, which ends in November.


(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Susan Thomas)



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I think the death penalty is really harsh but there are people who if given the death penalty, it would be merciful. Seriously, there are people out there who have committed despicable acts against humanity and I wonder if hell would be too small for them.

 

I personally am against the death penalty.I believe human life is extremely valuable and no one has the right to say a human should die, despite the acts they may have committed. Perhaps in certain circumstances there are some exceptions. I agree with the pope on this one.

 

I definitely agree with the pope on the death penalty. I think it is extremely harsh. No government officials should be able to say who lives or dies. There are also instances of innocent people being put to death, which should never be the case anywhere. However, due to the nature of politics in America, I don't think the death penalty will go away completely. The death penalty seems like a relic from ancient times where there would be public beheadings and I honestly can't believe it still exists.

 

I'm quite interested in this debate. My personal opinion is that the death penalty should NOT be allowed. Who has the right to say that a humans life should be taken away? Isn't that considered closely with encouraging death? Sure a murderer should be locked away for life, but why simply give them the easy route and sentence them to death? Spend that money on something more useful than to kill someone. Up to millions of dollars can be saved in just one state. Imagine how much could be saved if all the states illegalized the death penalty. That money can more importantly be used for the families whose loved one was killed through counseling and etc..

 

I think it might be something that the supreme court will review in a few decades, but I'm okay with it being a states-right case for now. If you look at the evolution in America, 100 years ago our nation was okay with executing minors- so little by little we're finding our moral ground- and the laws will continue to evolve to follow that. However, if we continue to play 'human rights' police in America, it's tough to do that while having a death penalty.

 

I think the death penalty is a spur-of-the moment result of actions as is. As in, if you mess with the wrong person, you suffer the death penalty, if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, you suffer the death penalty, etc. It is extremely natural for someone to die as a consequence of their actions, and personally, I think there are certain cases where someone cannot be reformed, is not going to be happy with being imprisoned in confinement for ever and would be better off being put to rest.

 

I think people are in constant flux, change, and growth. Even those who commit the most despicable acts are capable of growth and change. With that said I am in agreement with this pope pertaining to the death penalty. Imprisonment protects society while ideally giving the individual time to reflect upon their life and their actions. Society's impulse is to punish these individuals but we see from the results of our punitive judicial system that it does not produce rehabilitative results. Society should be investing resources in learning how to help these maladjusted people change and grow rather than committing so many resources toward punishment.

 

I think abolishing the Death Penalty is a good thing, especially in lower developed countries. North Korea has some pretty harsh rules that when not respected, will get you either a long sentence or just end your life. Living life is always better than ending it, no matter who you are talking about. If you have to punish someone, the better thing is to let him rot in a cell rather than end the exile and let him/her free.

 

This discussion always brings up heated opinions, so I'll give mine and leave it there. I don't think there should be a death penalty as such, not as it is now anyway. For any serious crime that's committed, I think it needs to be judged purely on a case by case basis.

While we all talk about rehabilitation, and a long prison sentence gives the perpetrators time to reflect on what they've done, hoping that they can turn their life around and then give back to society, sometimes we know that is just never going to happen with some individuals.

If a man (or woman) can kidnap and then brutally rape young children, taking pictures of them after they have killed them over a number of years,,what is the chance that they will ever be rehabilitated? They'll never be able to give anything back to society to make up for their crimes. Do people like that deserve to die? In my opinion of course they do, and that's why I think saying a worldwide ban isn't necessarily the right way to go.

 

I was somewhat against the death penalty but with the increase of crime rates over the past few years, I think that is the only way to try and deter criminals. For persons who murder and not care about their lives, they will do their time and be let back in society to commit more vicious acts. I think based on the severity of the crimes, death penalty should always be an option.

 

Do you think it is too harsh for a person who took someone else's life or several lives for that matter? There are persons who don't give rat's *** about anyone but themselves.

 

That's pretty much expected from such person as Pope.

 

The death penalty is definitely also there to determine people from committing more serious offences and I think a lot of people would have murdered somebody if they knew that punishment wasn't there.

For some though, death penalty or not, they will commit offences regardless, and they are the ones that are the most dangerous individuals.

 

Wow. It's interesting to read the different varieties of opinions on this topic. It seems a lot of us have the same philosophy. Of course, it's always important to remember that we should keep it civilized because this debate can get quite heated as previously mentioned. Debating is healthy, just don't let it get too out of hand. Peace.

 

To be honest I would be upset if the Pope didn't want to demolish the death penalty. He stands for love kindness and religion. Personally I am undecided on the death penalty, but I would want him to have a more peaceful view.

 

I think that a lot of people just assume that because the pope is head of the Catholic church, then his views should be more peaceful and liberal when it comes to.matters such as this, but that isn't always the case.

The Christian faith has been responsible for some pretty violent scenes itself in the past don't forget!