Pope Francis on Thursday called
for the abolition of the death penalty while criticizing life
jail terms as being the equivalent of a death sentence, saying
both robbed humans of their dignity.
"All Christians and men of good will are called today to
fight not just for the abolition of the death penalty in all its
forms, whether it be legal or illegal, but also the goal of
improving prison conditions, out of respect of the human dignity
of people deprived of their freedom," the pope said at an
audience with the International Association of Penal Law.
He added that the Vatican had already removed life prison
terms from its criminal code and urged better conditions for
prisoners and more humane treatment - including elimination of
life sentences.
"A life sentence is a hidden death penalty," said Francis.
He noted that totalitarian regimes often use the death
penalty "as an instrument of suppression of political dissent,
or of persecution of religious or cultural minorities".
Punishments should never take the form of creating a
scapegoat, where one person is blamed and made to suffer for all
the problems in the entire community.
Nor should punishment become a form of torture, yet too
often that is what prison becomes - for convicted criminals, but
also for people who have merely been accused of a crime and held
pending trial, said Francis.
Pre-trial custody can be an "illicit and concealed
punishment" while lengthy jail terms are "a form of torture".
"Caution in the application of penal codes must be the
overarching principle of legal systems," said Francis.
Similarly, the international community must work together
in order to collectively help end all forms of torture anywhere
it exists in the world.
"These abuses can only be stopped with the firm commitment
of the international community (to recognize) the dignity of the
human person above all (else)", he said.
Nor should children be treated and punished in the criminal
system in the same was as adults, warned the pope.
"States should refrain from penal punishments of children,"
he said.
Instead, they should be given "all the privileges the State
is able to give," said Francis.
The absolute poverty that has trapped "one billion people"
is another form of abuse of individuals and a rejection of their
humanity and speaks of a larger kind of sickness endemic in
society and particularly among its leaders, said the pontiff.
"The scandalous accumulation of global wealth is possible
because of the connivance of those with strong powers who are
responsible for public affairs," said Francis.
"Corruption is a process of death...more evil than sin. An
evil that, instead of being forgiven, must be cured".
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