Pope Francis does not believe in the death penalty, and he used the Sixth World Conference Against the Death Penalty, which took place in Oslo, Norway, to voice his stance regarding the matter.
Pope Francis said in a video message that there are "more evolved forms of respect for the life and dignity of each person," so people who are pushing for the death penalty must not forget that "the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal."
He is happy that more people nowadays are manifesting their opposition to the death penalty, but more needs to be done. No matter how grave the crime of the convicted person is, Pope Francis says they do not deserve the death penalty. He believes it is an "unacceptable" social defence because it takes away the dignity of the human person.
More than that, the death penalty "contradicts God's plan for individuals and society, and His merciful justice." Pope Francis says the death penalty does not really render justice to the victims because it only feeds on people's need for vengeance. At the same time, it contradicts the commandment "Thou shalt not kill."
Aside from the abolition of the death penalty, Pope Francis is advocating for the improvement of prison conditions to 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," he said.
"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."
