Pope Francis changes church policy on death penalty

The Vatican on Thursday announced changes to the Catholic Church's stance on the death penalty, citing Pope Francis' belief that capital punishment denies the inherent dignity of all humans.

The universal catechism, which brings together church doctrine in a summarized form, was updated to reflect the change in doctrine.

"Consequently, the church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person, and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide," the revised catechism says.

Last year, Pope Francis announced his intention to formally change church doctrine on the death penalty, saying capital punishment amounted to the voluntary killing of a human life, which "is always sacred in the eyes of the creator."

Evolution of doctrine

The shift in doctrine runs counter to support for the death penalty by many Catholics in the US. Cardinal Luis Ladaria, who heads the Vatican's doctrine office, said the shift reflects an evolution instead of a contradiction to previous church belief.

"If, in fact, the political and social situation of the past made the death penalty an acceptable means for the protection of the common good, today the increasing understanding that the dignity of a person is not lost even after committing the most serious crimes, the deepened understanding of the significance of penal sanctions applied by the State, and the development of more efficacious detention systems that guarantee the due protection of citizens have given rise to a new awareness that recognizes the inadmissibility of the death penalty," Ladaria said in a letter accompanying the Vatican announcement.

Read more: Pope Francis: The Catholic Church's Superman?

Prior to the change, the Catholic Church did not exclude capital punishment "if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor."

'Important step forward'

Ladaria said the shift, which was officially made in May but remained unannounced until Thursday, aimed to "give energy" to the anti-capital punishment movement and "in respectful dialogue with civil authorities, to encourage the creation of conditions that allow for the elimination of the death penalty where it is still in effect."

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International described the shift in doctrine as an "important step forward."

Read more: Is the UK no longer opposed to the death penalty?

"Already in the past, the church has expressed its aversion to the death penalty, but with words that did not exclude ambiguities," said Amnesty Italia spokesman Riccardo Noury. "Today they are saying it an even clearer way."

Noury noted that there appears to be "a desire to see the Catholic Church take an active role in the global abolitionist movement."

ls/rt (AP, Reuters)

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