The Catholic Church now formally considers the death penalty “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” and is pledging to work for its abolition worldwide.
It’s a shift for the church, which used to consider the death penalty a “means of safeguarding the common good” in response to “certain crimes.” The update to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the book of official teachings of the church, was announced Thursday.
Pope Francis approved the change, which aligns with his public statements against the death penalty.
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