2267. Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.
Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.
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”, [Francis, Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, 11 October 2017] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.
Aprofunde seus conhecimentos
590. What does the Church ask for when she prays “Thy Kingdom come”?
12. What is Apostolic Tradition?
43. What does it mean to believe in only one God?
402. What is the relationship between the person and society?
499. Why are artificial insemination and artificial fertilization immoral?
288. What is the meaning of the altar?
Acesse nossos estudos biblicos:
How is God’s sovereignty portrayed amidst the chaos in Lamentations 2:8-9?
Saul’s Character and the Consequences of His Choices: A Case Study in Leadership (1 Samuel 9-15)
What is Jeremiah’s message about God’s unconditional love?
What is the role of faith in the midst of suffering, according to Job 13:15-16?
What is the significance of the founding of the church in Ephesus described in Acts 19:1-10?
