Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 3 august 2018
Pope rules out death penalty in change to church teaching

By NICOLE WINFIELD Gospel, to respect the sa-
Associated Press credness of human life and
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope to work at all levels and on
Francis has decreed that every continent to abolish
the death penalty is "inad- this inhuman practice."
missible" under all circum- It was precisely Francis' ci-
stances and the Catholic tation of the Gospel, how-
Church should campaign ever, that sparked criticism
to abolish it, a change in from some on the Catholic
church teaching that could right, who cited Scripture in
influence Catholic politi- arguing that Francis had no
cians and judges in the U.S. authority to change what
and across the globe. previous popes taught.
The change, announced "He is in open violation of
Thursday, was hailed by the authority recognized to
anti-death penalty activists him. And no Catholic has
and scorned by Francis' fre- any obligation of obedi-
quent conservative critics, ence to abuse of author-
who said he had no right ity," tweeted the tradition-
to change what Scripture alist blog Rorate Caeli.
revealed and popes have In this file photo dated Tuesday, July 31, 2018, Pope Francis prays during an audience in St. Peter's Some on social media
taught for centuries. square at the Vatican. questioned the timing of
The Vatican said that Fran- Associated Press the announcement, given
cis had amended the Cat- that the Vatican and the
echism of the Catholic detain prisoners so they Justice Antonin Scalia, fa- of solidarity and hope. He Catholic Church are un-
Church — the compilation aren't a threat and even mously said that he didn't remains in touch with a der extraordinary fire over
of official Catholic teach- provide the possibility of re- find the death penalty im- group of Argentine inmates clerical sex abuse and how
ing — to say that capital habilitation. moral, and that any judge he ministered to during his bishops around the world
punishment can never be "Consequently, the church who did should resign. years as archbishop of Bue- covered it up for decades.
sanctioned because it con- teaches, in the light of the Sister Helen Prejean, the nos Aires. The U.S. church, in particu-
stitutes an "attack" on the Gospel, that the death anti-death penalty cam- In an accompanying let- lar, is reeling from accusa-
dignity of human beings. penalty is inadmissible be- paigner whose ministry to ter explaining the change, tions that one of the most
Previously, the catechism cause it is an attack on the a death row inmate in- the head of the Vatican's prominent U.S. cardinals,
said the church didn't ex- inviolability and dignity of spired the book and film, doctrine office, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, alleg-
clude recourse to capital the person and she works "Dead Man Walking," said Luis Ladaria, said the pope edly abused minors as well
punishment "if this is the only with determination for its the pope's new teaching wasn't contradicting prior as adult seminarians.
possible way of effectively abolition worldwide," reads would be more acutely felt church teaching on capital "Coming in the midst of the
defending human lives the new text, which was in an upcoming planned punishment but was "refor- sex abuse revelations, the
against the unjust aggres- approved in May but only execution in Nebraska un- mulating" it to express "an timing is curious... and more
sor." Past popes have up- published Thursday. der Gov. Pete Ricketts, who authentic development of fury is not what the Church
held that position, though The death penalty has Prejean called "a pro-life doctrine." needs at this moment," not-
St. John Paul II began urg- been abolished in most of Catholic.". The Rev. Robert Gahl, a ed Raymond Arroyo, host
ing an end to the practice Europe and South Ameri- "If we say we are for dignity moral theologian at Rome's of the Catholic broadcast-
and stressed that the guilty ca, but it is still in use in the of all life, that includes inno- Pontifical Holy Cross Univer- er EWTN.
were just as deserving of United States and in coun- cent and guilty as well," she sity, agreed. Francis announced his in-
dignity as innocents. tries in Asia, Africa and the said in a telephone inter- "With this new text the pope tention to change church
The new teaching says the Middle East. This week Turk- view with The Associated is not rejecting past teach- teaching on capital pun-
previous policy is outdated ish President Tayyip Erdo- Press. ing regarding the death ishment in October, when
because there are new gan said the death penalty She said she was "high as penalty. He's not referring he marked the 25th anni-
ways to protect the com- could soon be reinstated in a kite" over Francis' deci- to the inherent morality or versary of the catechism it-
mon good, and the church Turkey, where it was abol- sion to close what she said immorality of it, but to po- self. First promulgated by St.
should instead commit itself ished in 2004 as part of its were loopholes in previ- litical expedience within John Paul II, it gave Catho-
to working to end capital bid to join the European ous church teaching that new circumstances to em- lics an easy, go-to guide for
punishment. Union. failed to recognize that phasize the possibility of re- church teaching on every-
"Recourse to the death Within hours of Thursday's when a prisoner is strapped demption for all, including thing from the sacraments
penalty on the part of le- announcement, New York to a gurney, he is rendered the most guilty," he said. to sex.
gitimate authority, follow- Gov. Andrew Cuomo completely defenseless be- In addition to Sister Prejean, Amnesty International,
ing a fair trial, was long vowed to introduce legisla- fore his executioner. other Catholic organiza- which has long cam-
considered an appropriate tion to remove the death "We can't claim anymore tions are active in the anti- paigned for a worldwide
response to the gravity of penalty from New York that's the only way you can death penalty campaign, ban on the death penalty,
certain crimes and an ac- state law. defend society," she said. including the Sant'Egidio welcomed the develop-
ceptable, albeit extreme Francis' new teaching is Francis has long de- Community, which togeth- ment as an "important step
means of safeguarding the also likely to feature in the nounced the death pen- er with Italian authorities forward."
common good," reads the confirmation process for alty and even opposes life always lights up Rome's "Already in the past, the
new text. Supreme Court nominee sentences, which he has Colosseum whenever a church had expressed its
Today "there is an increas- Brett Kavanaugh, a church- called "hidden" death sen- country abolishes capital aversion to the death pen-
ing awareness that the going Catholic who, if con- tences. punishment. alty, but with words that
dignity of the person is not firmed, would join four oth- He has also made prison In a statement Thurs- did not exclude ambigui-
lost even after the commis- er Catholic justices on the ministry a mainstay of his day, Sant'Egidio said the ties," said Riccardo Noury,
sion of very serious crimes," bench. vocation, and on nearly change served "as another Amnesty Italia spokesman.
it said, adding that society One of their former Cath- every foreign trip he vis- push to the church and "Today they are saying it in
now has effective ways to olic members, the late its inmates to offer words Catholics, based on the an even clearer way."q