Pope Francis Takes New Stance on Death Penalty
- 6 years ago
Pope Francis
Takes New Stance
on Death Penalty In the past, the Catholic Church
did not condemn the
use of capital punishment. Their teachings have previously found the death penalty acceptable "if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor." Pope Francis has decided
that this way of thinking
needs to change. On Thursday, the Pope changed
the Roman Catholic teaching, citing that capital punishment can
never be sanctioned because it "attacks"
the inherent dignity of human life. Pope Francis, via statement Many Catholics in the U.S.
support the death penalty,
so the change is expected to raise
anger and debate among many of them. For centuries, the Catholic Church allowed the death penalty in extreme situations, but Pope John Paul II began to shift the church's stance before his death in 2005.
Takes New Stance
on Death Penalty In the past, the Catholic Church
did not condemn the
use of capital punishment. Their teachings have previously found the death penalty acceptable "if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor." Pope Francis has decided
that this way of thinking
needs to change. On Thursday, the Pope changed
the Roman Catholic teaching, citing that capital punishment can
never be sanctioned because it "attacks"
the inherent dignity of human life. Pope Francis, via statement Many Catholics in the U.S.
support the death penalty,
so the change is expected to raise
anger and debate among many of them. For centuries, the Catholic Church allowed the death penalty in extreme situations, but Pope John Paul II began to shift the church's stance before his death in 2005.