ROME — Pope Francis congratulated California governor Gavin Newsom for his refusal to carry out the death penalty and for California’s leadership in fighting climate change, the governor’s office reported. “I was struck by how he immediately brought up the issue of the death penalty and how proud he was of the work we’re doing in California,” Newsom said after a May 16 meeting with the pontiff in the Vatican. “I was struck by that because I wasn’t anticipating that, especially in the context of this convening.” Shortly after his inauguration in 2019, Newsom issued an executive order imposing a...