Reuters: Pope issues sharp rebuke to US over death penalty expansion

Pope Leo has for a second consecutive day spoken out against capital punishment, urging its complete abolition in the United States as President Donald Trump’s administration moves to expand available methods for executing federal prisoners.

In a message addressed to DePaul University in Chicago, marking the 15th anniversary of Illinois abolishing the death penalty, the pope emphasized the Catholic Church’s teaching that every human life is sacred from the moment of conception, Reuters reports.

"The right to life ⁠is the very foundation of every other human right," the pope said. "For this reason, only when a society safeguards the sanctity of human life will it flourish and prosper."

Leo added that effective prison systems should ensure public safety while also preserving the opportunity for redemption for those convicted of serious crimes.

His remarks followed comments made a day earlier, when a journalist asked him about reports concerning a surge of executions in Iran. "I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking ‌of ⁠people's lives. I condemn capital punishment," he had replied.

Meanwhile, on April 24, the US Justice Department said it believes the federal government should broaden the range of methods used for carrying out executions, citing ongoing challenges in obtaining drugs required for lethal injections.

According to a departmental report, execution protocols could be updated to include alternatives such as firing squads, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation, in addition to lethal injection.

The proposal follows Donald Trump’s pledge to reinstate capital punishment at the federal level. His predecessor, Joe Biden, had previously commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, leaving only three individuals still facing execution.

By Jeyhun Aghazada