Pope Francis calls for abolishing death penalty and life imprisonment

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis called for abolition of the death penalty as well as life imprisonment, and denounced what he called a "penal populism" that promises to solve society's problems by punishing crime instead of pursuing social justice.

"It is impossible to imagine that states today cannot make use of another means than capital punishment to defend peoples' lives from an unjust aggressor," the pope said Oct. 23 in a meeting with representatives of the International Association of Penal Law.

All Christians and people of good will are thus called today to struggle not only for abolition of the death penalty, whether it be legal or illegal and in all its forms, but also to improve prison conditions, out of respect for the human dignity of persons deprived of their liberty. And this, I connect with life imprisonment," he said. "Life imprisonment is a hidden death penalty."

The pope noted that the Vatican recently eliminated life inprisonment from its own penal code.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, cited by Pope Francis in his talk, "the traditional teaching of the church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor," but modern advances in protecting society from dangerous criminals mean that "cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically nonexistent."

The pope said that, although a number of countries have formally abolished capital punishment, "the death penalty, illegally and to a varying extent, is applied all over the planet," because "extrajudicial executions" are often disguised as "clashes with offenders or presented as the undesired consequences of the reasonable, necessary and proportionate use of force to apply the law."

The pope denounced the detention of prisoners without trial, who he said account for more than 50 percent of all incarcerated people in some countries. He said maximum security prisons can be a form of torture, since their "principal characteristic is none other than external isolation," which can lead to "psychic and physical sufferings such as paranoia, anxiety, depression and weight loss and significantly increase the chance of suicide."

He also rebuked unspecified governments involved in kidnapping people for "illegal transportation to detention centers in which torture is practiced."

The pope said criminal penalties should not apply to children, and should be waived or limited for the elderly, who "on the basis of their very errors can offer lessons to the rest of society. We don't learn only from the virtues of saints but also from the failings and errors of sinners."

Pope Francis said contemporary societies overuse criminal punishment, partially out of a primitive tendency to offer up "sacrificial victims, accused of the disgraces that strike the community."

The pope said some politicians and members of the media promote "violence and revenge, public and private, not only against those responsible for crimes, but also against those under suspicion, justified or not."

He denounced a growing tendency to think that the "most varied social problems can be resolved through public punishment ... that by means of that punishment we can obtain benefits that would require the implementation of another type of social policy, economic policy and policy of social inclusion."

Using techniques similar to those of racist regimes of the past, the pope said, unspecified forces today create "stereotypical figures that sum up the characteristics that society perceives as threatening."

Pope Francis concluded his talk by denouncing human trafficking and corruption, both crimes he said "could never be committed without the complicity, active or passive, of public authorities."

The pope spoke scathingly about the mentality of the typical corrupt person, whom he described as conceited, unable to accept criticism, and prompt to insult and even persecute those who disagree with him.

"The corrupt one does not perceive his own corruption. It is a little like what happens with bad breath: someone who has it hardly ever realizes it; other people notice and have to tell him," the pope said. "Corruption is an evil greater than sin. More than forgiveness, this evil needs to be cured."

"... but now dislike what is publicly being promulgated and reject the “Vicar of Christ’s” opinions."

Ah, but the Pope's "opinions" are not in any way privileged in terms of what the faithful must or must not think. There have been stupid popes. Stupid popes spout stupid opinions. There have been corrupt popes. Corrupt popes spout corrupt opinions. The Holy Spirit neither annihilates their personalities, nor guarantees their whims, nor deprives them of their free will, when they become popes. Thus they are as subject to error as Dutchboy88 or Mrs. Don-o Her! Very! Self! :o/

In matters disciplinary, they are to be obeyed--- and why? Beause they are lawful superiors--- and as with any legitimate superior, that means, in commands which do not constitute sin. They may constitute foolishness --- or wisdom for that matter --- but if it's mere foolish in our opinion, they are still to be obeyed. They may be based on faulty information --- or on wonderfully complete and accurate information. But if it's just a matter of different assessments of "information," (prudential judgment),they are to be obeyed.

This is simply because they have lawful authority --- an analogy would be a military commander in relation to the enlisted men--- to be obeyed for the sake of unity and good order, BUT NOT IN SIN. If a Pope were to command what God precisely forbids, or forbid what God precisely commands, then it's obviously a no-go.

Example: Pope says to Cardinal Burke: leave your job as Top Canonical Judge, I'm gong to make you chaplain of an old folks' home at Our Lady of the Mudhole in Lower Slobovia. It would be a stupid move on the Pope's part, but Burke would obey because it's not a sin to be a chaplain for the geriatric faithful.

However if the Pope were to say, "Burke, I want you to write up an interpretation of Canon Law that says divorced people can form subsequent, adulterous unions with new partners, and that's no detriment to Communion," Burke would be morally obliged to say, in a word, "NO." "No, Holy Father. Neither you nor I, nor anyone on earth has the authority to do that."

However, the Pope will not command --- in a fully authoritative sense, explicitly intended as binding on the whole Church --- any error. Why? Because God would stop him, maybe by giving him wondrous miraculous laryngitis like poor old Zachariah, maybe by stopping him dead.

That's what "infallibility" consists of. It is not positive inspiration (like the Holy Spirit telling Matthew, Mark, Luke and John what to say.) It is a strictly negative safeguard. It is the way God protects His beloved Church from the worst possible effects of bad popes.

Have you seen "How to Explain Papal Infallibility in Under Two Minutes"? (LINK)

Let me recommend it. It's worth your 2 minutes. Have a chuckle. Zany but true.

Anyway, there was no "church" prior to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, my dead FRiend.

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bed bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bee loosed in heaven.” --Jesus
"If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector." --Jesus

Jesus was alive when he spoke these words.

"Binding and loosing" was a rabbinical phrase meaning the authority to forbid by an indisputable authority, and to permit by an indisputable authority.

A body that teaches with an indisputable authority must be visible and united in teaching. Otherwise, logically speaking, how could any doctrinal disagreement be settled? And what authority would Christ's Churh have, if any random grouping of Christians could overrule the Church's Teaching?

Moreover, Jesus, as king of the eternal, redeemed, Kingdom of David or Kingdom of Heaven...

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

Gives the "keys of the kingdom" to Peter...

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will bed bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bee loosed in heaven.”

The key of David or the Davidic kingdom was...

An oversized key that the Davidic King gave to his majordomo. In the king's absence, the majordomo or chamberlain had full authority over the kingdom of David, with the power to "bind and loose."

I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

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