Novena
  • About
  • Authors
    • Cameron Doody
    • Mada Jurado
    • Matt Kappadakunnel
    • Angele Bucyte
    • Pressenza International Press Agency
    • George Karpouzas
    • Daniele Palmer
    • Danail Hristov
    • Katakombablog
  • Countries
    • Albania
    • Austria
    • Belarus
    • Belgium
    • Bosnia-Herzegovina
    • Brussels
    • Bulgaria
    • Croatia
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • Estonia
    • Europe
    • Finland
    • France
    • Geneva
    • Georgia
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Kosovo
    • Latvia
    • Lithuania
    • Luxembourg
    • Malta
    • Moldova
    • Montenegro
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Order of Malta
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • Serbia
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Turkey
    • Ukraine
    • US
    • Vatican
    • World
  • In-depth
    • About Novena
    • Agencies
    • Analysis
    • Catholic Twitter
    • Editorial
    • Full text
    • Novena book review
    • Novena exclusive
    • Novena guest article
    • Novena interview
    • Novena investigates
    • Novena most-read
    • Novena opinion
    • Novena profile
    • Novena readers respond
    • Press releases
    • Pressenza
    • Special to Novena
    • Viewpoints
  • Archives
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS

Pope repeats call for end to death penalty: “Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity – God Himself guarantees it”

By Cameron Doody November 30, 2020
Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email

Pope Francis has repeated his call for an end to the death penalty, arguing that “not even a murderer loses his personal dignity – God Himself guarantees it”.

Key points
– “Recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being”
– Monuments in 2,300 cities light up in Sant’Egidio campaign to stop “highly inhuman and useless” capital punishment that “reduces states to mere perpetrators of injustice”

– “Recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being”

The pontiff made the appeal today on Twitter ahead of the “Cities for Life 2020” vigil organised by the Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio.

“Let us keep in mind that not even a murderer loses his personal dignity – God Himself guarantees it (see EV 9). The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being. #FratelliTutti #NoDeathPenalty“, the Pope wrote on Twitter.

Let us keep in mind that not even a murderer loses his personal dignity — God Himself guarantees it (see EV 9). The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being. #FratelliTutti #NoDeathPenalty

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 30, 2020

Francis’ message was a quote from his October 3 encyclical on fraternity and social friendship, Fratelli tutti, where he wrote that both war and capital punishment are “extreme situations that may come to be seen as solutions in especially dramatic circumstances, without realizing that they are false answers that do not resolve the problems they are meant to solve and ultimately do no more than introduce new elements of destruction in the fabric of national and global society” (FT, 255).

In his encyclical, Francis recalled that “Saint John Paul II stated clearly and firmly that the death penalty is inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice” (FT, 263-70).

“There can be no stepping back from this position”, Francis continued, restating his 2018 change to the catechism to the effect that since “the death penalty is inadmissible” the Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide”.

While not doubting that authorities have the right to punish criminals, the Pope warned that “fear and resentment can easily lead to viewing punishment in a vindictive and even cruel way, rather than as part of a process of healing and reintegration into society”.

Not only that, but even the most hardened of criminals have “a place in this universe”, the Pope stressed, insisting that Jesus’ appeal against violence in the Garden of Gethsemane (“All who take the sword will perish by the sword”, Mt 26:52) “bridges the gap of the centuries and reaches the present as an enduring appeal”.

– Monuments in 2,300 cities light up in Sant’Egidio campaign to stop “highly inhuman and useless” capital punishment that “reduces states to mere perpetrators of injustice”

For its part, the Community of Sant’Egidio explained that its Cities for Life 2020 vigil and #Stand4Humanity webinar from 5.30pm to 7pm GMT+1 tonight was taking place on the 234th anniversary of the first ban on the death penalty to come into effect anywhere in the world, in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in Italy on November 30, 1786.

Since that 18th-century moratorium in Tuscany, “a great deal of progress has been made on the road to the abolition of capital punishment in the world”, Sant’Egidio affirmed.

“But so much can and must be done against this highly inhuman and useless instrument, since it does not act as a deterrent and reduces states to mere perpetrators of injustice”, the Community stressed.

Sant’Egidio said that after its #NoDeathPenalty webinar the Colosseum in Rome would light up along with monuments in some 2,300 cities worldwide to turn them into “living logos” of “the people’s commitment for a world without the death penalty”.

The demonstration tonight against state-enforced executions “is a major world mobilization so people do not forget that several countries still keep this cruel and inhumane punishment”, Sant’Egidio explained, adding that participants were aiming “to show there is a higher and more civilized justice capable of abandoning capital punishment once and for all”.

More on Novena on the Church’s opposition to the death penalty:

US: ‘Dead Man Walking’ nun denounces trial leading to execution of Black man “completely and totally tainted by racism”

Community of Sant’Egidio launches campaign to abolish “inhuman and arbitrary” death penalty worldwide

Holy See representative to UN in Geneva says capital punishment “the biggest sin a human being can commit in the name of justice”

US Bishops remind Trump, AG Barr: “Executions are completely unnecessary and unacceptable”

death penaltyfratelli tuttihuman dignityhuman rightsinjusticejustice systemlaw and orderpapal messagessocial justicewar
Avatar
Author Cameron Doody

PhD in ancient Jewish/Christian history and philosophy. University ethics lecturer with 4 years' experience in religion journalism.

  • Website

Related Posts

Francis alerts: “Violence will never cease until all people reach a deeper awareness that they are brothers and sisters”

November 30, 2020

Spanish Church groups denounce “systematic violation of human rights” of migrants on southern European border

November 30, 2020

Aid to the Church in Need denounces Christians the most persecuted religious group in the world

November 30, 2020

“Leave no-one behind! COVID-19 and climate change merit equal engagement”, stress Jesuits in Europe and Africa

November 30, 2020

Pope urges new cardinals to “watchfulness of prayer and charity” to escape “slumber of mediocrity and indifference”

November 29, 2020

Opinion: “Sexual abuse has fatally undermined the Catholic Church’s claim to represent a moral authority”

November 29, 2020
  • Headlines
    • The end of an era: A farewell from Novena November 30, 2020
    • Pope repeats call for end to death penalty: “Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity – God Himself guarantees it” November 30, 2020
    • Francis alerts: “Violence will never cease until all people reach a deeper awareness that they are brothers and sisters” November 30, 2020
    • Permanent deacon and wife take over day-to-day leadership of Portuguese parish November 30, 2020
    • Spanish Church groups denounce “systematic violation of human rights” of migrants on southern European border November 30, 2020
    • Aid to the Church in Need denounces Christians the most persecuted religious group in the world November 30, 2020
    • “Leave no-one behind! COVID-19 and climate change merit equal engagement”, stress Jesuits in Europe and Africa November 30, 2020
    • Gay man rejected by Jesuits: “The God who loves me is not the sole property of a Church that rejects LGBTQ people” November 29, 2020
    • Pope urges new cardinals to “watchfulness of prayer and charity” to escape “slumber of mediocrity and indifference” November 29, 2020
    • Opinion: “Sexual abuse has fatally undermined the Catholic Church’s claim to represent a moral authority” November 29, 2020
    • Pope warns new red hats: “The scarlet of a cardinal’s robes can, for a worldly spirit, become the colour of a secular ’eminence'” November 28, 2020
    • Pope appeals to warmongers in Ethiopia: “Stop the violence, protect all lives and restore peace” November 28, 2020
    • Vatican diplomat deplores “sad” governmental, societal rejection of in-demand migrant workers November 28, 2020
    • With new picks for red hats, Francis working to correct Eurocentric bias in College of Cardinals November 28, 2020
    • To combat religiously motivated violence, invest in interfaith dialogue, research suggests November 27, 2020
    • Cardinal Czerny denounces migrants, refugees being “deliberately forgotten” by governments during COVID November 27, 2020
    • Cardinal Hollerich warns: “The EU will lose its soul in the Mediterranean if it does not save refugees from drowning” November 27, 2020
    • Canon lawyer accuses Cardinal Woelki of “unprecedented brazenness” for suppressing Cologne archdiocesan abuse cover-up report November 27, 2020
    • Cardinal-designate Cornelius Sim: “Jesus’ way of acting is from person to person, being small with the little ones” November 27, 2020
    • Pope calls on Christians to “engage with the world with strength and creativity” to build “a new, inclusive economy and a politics of love” November 27, 2020
    • Jesuit expert in marketing hits out at “voracious consumerism” of ‘Black Friday’ November 27, 2020
    • Did the Pope just criticise the German ‘synodal path’ Church reform process? Key lay body says ‘no’ November 26, 2020
    • Pope talks social, environmental justice with delegation from Fairtrade International November 26, 2020
    • Francis thanks young people in Italy for ‘Advent Green Dream’ radio program November 26, 2020
    • Congolese cardinal urges Swiss to vote ‘yes’ on Corporate Responsibility Initiative: “Companies that pollute or exploit must be held accountable” November 26, 2020
    • Spanish cardinals condemn gender-based violence: “Jesus always stood for the equal dignity of men and women” November 26, 2020
    • Pope says firm ‘no’ to party politics in Church: “We should not be sectarian, one against the other” November 26, 2020
    • Swedish cardinal puts COVID Mass restrictions in perspective: “There are greater sufferings in the world” November 26, 2020
    • Catholic women clap back at Pope for calling their struggle for ordination “clericalist”, “disrespectful” November 25, 2020
    • Vatican stresses interreligious dialogue as only path to peace, freedom November 25, 2020
    • China says Pope’s claim of “persecuted” Uyghurs “absolutely groundless” November 25, 2020
    • New book lifts lid on “shocking” sexual and spiritual abuse of women in Church November 25, 2020
    • Pope pleads: “We all need to do a lot more for the dignity of each woman” November 25, 2020
    • Spanish Catholic NGO decries “widespread apathy” in face of fact 30% of world’s women and girls live in fear of violence November 25, 2020
    • German abbess prosecuted for sheltering asylum seekers wins Göttingen Peace Prize November 25, 2020
    • Vatican webinar condemns racism as “blasphemy against the Creator”, “sin against the message of Christ” November 24, 2020
  • In the news
    "conservatives" and "liberals" abuse abuse of power accountability bishops celibacy christian identity church and state clericalism common home coronavirus ecology economy environment eu europe faith gender equality health healthcare inclusion integral human development laypeople lgbt+ rights medicine migrants nationalism peace politics poor prayer priesthood racism reform refugees religious life secularisation sex abuse social justice society solidarity spirituality synodality theology women in the church
  • More news by country
  • More news by date
  • Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • About

    Novena is an independent, lay-run, self-financed news website that offers accurate, credible and insightful coverage of issues that affect Europeans at the intersection of religion, politics, society and culture.

    Read More
  • Most-read
    • Painting Black Lives Matter as "Marxist" is a lazy excuse not to tackle racism
    • No longer sin? Archbishop of Paris backs withdrawal method over pill, condoms
    • Welcome to Novena!
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • About
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Novena

Top
  • About
  • Authors
    • Cameron Doody
    • Mada Jurado
    • Matt Kappadakunnel
    • Angele Bucyte
    • Pressenza International Press Agency
    • George Karpouzas
    • Daniele Palmer
    • Danail Hristov
    • Katakombablog
  • Countries
    • Albania
    • Austria
    • Belarus
    • Belgium
    • Bosnia-Herzegovina
    • Brussels
    • Bulgaria
    • Croatia
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • Estonia
    • Europe
    • Finland
    • France
    • Geneva
    • Georgia
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Kosovo
    • Latvia
    • Lithuania
    • Luxembourg
    • Malta
    • Moldova
    • Montenegro
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Order of Malta
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • Serbia
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Turkey
    • Ukraine
    • US
    • Vatican
    • World
  • In-depth
    • About Novena
    • Agencies
    • Analysis
    • Catholic Twitter
    • Editorial
    • Full text
    • Novena book review
    • Novena exclusive
    • Novena guest article
    • Novena interview
    • Novena investigates
    • Novena most-read
    • Novena opinion
    • Novena profile
    • Novena readers respond
    • Press releases
    • Special to Novena
    • Viewpoints
  • Archives
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
  • Contact
  • Social networks
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • RSS
    • Scribd
    • Email

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.