A
punishment for person who has committed a crime is for the purpose of
getting the person's repentance and to rehabilitate him/her for
reintroduction into society, and, as such the Death Penalty fails to
satisfy the object of a punishment. Hence, another good reason why the
death penalty needs to be abolished.
In the recent Sixth World Congress Against the Death Penalty that was held in Oslo, Norway from 21-23 June 2016, one of the persons who gave an opening address was Pope Francis, and he did say some things that matter and deserve our consideration. His Message is found here..
“Rendering justice” does not mean seeking punishment for its own sake, but ensuring that the basic purpose of all punishment is the rehabilitation of the offender. The question must be dealt with within the larger framework of a system of penal justice open to the possibility of the guilty party’s reinsertion in society. There is no fitting punishment without hope! Punishment for its own sake, without room for hope, is a form of torture, not of punishment.
Message of His Holiness Pope Francis
Sixth World Congress Against the Death Penalty
Oslo, 21-23 June 2016
I
greet the organizers of this World Congress against the death penalty,
the group of countries supporting it, particularly Norway as its host
country, and all those representatives of governments, international
organizations and civil society taking part in it. I likewise express my
personal appreciation, along with that of men and women of goodwill,
for your commitment to a world free of the death penalty.
One
sign of hope is that public opinion is manifesting a growing opposition
to the death penalty, even as a means of legitimate social defence.
Indeed, nowadays the death penalty is unacceptable, however grave the
crime of the convicted person. It is an offence to the inviolability of
life and to the dignity of the human person; it likewise contradicts
God’s plan for individuals and society, and his merciful justice. Nor
is it consonant with any just purpose of punishment. It does not render
justice to victims, but instead fosters vengeance. The commandment “Thou
shalt not kill” has absolute value and applies both to the innocent and
to the guilty.
The
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is an auspicious occasion for promoting
worldwide ever more evolved forms of respect for the life and dignity of
each person. It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given
right to life also belongs to the criminal.
Today
I would encourage all to work not only for the abolition of the death
penalty, but also for the improvement of prison conditions, so that they
fully respect the human dignity of those incarcerated. “Rendering
justice” does not mean seeking punishment for its own sake, but ensuring
that the basic purpose of all punishment is the rehabilitation of the
offender. The question must be dealt with within the larger framework of
a system of penal justice open to the possibility of the guilty party’s
reinsertion in society. There is no fitting punishment without hope!
Punishment for its own sake, without room for hope, is a form of
torture, not of punishment.
I
trust that this Congress can give new impulse to the effort to abolish
capital punishment. For this reason, I encourage all taking part to
carry on this great initiative and I assure them of my prayers.
Source: Vatican Radio website
Source: Vatican Radio website
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