Pope Leo XIV on Saturday delivered a video message calling for the complete abolition of the death penalty worldwide. He timed his statement to mark the 15th anniversary of the abolition of capital punishment in his native state of Illinois. The pontiff stressed that human dignity is not lost even after the commission of serious crimes and urged protection of every life from conception to natural death.
Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, reiterated the Catholic Church's fundamental position: the right to life is the foundation of all other human rights. In his view, society can flourish only when the inviolability of human life is guaranteed. His remarks came against the backdrop of news from Washington: the U.S. Department of Justice has proposed using firing squads to carry out death sentences.
Relations between the pontiff and President Donald Trump remain strained. Trump called the pope "weak on crime" on the social network Truth Social. Leo XIV rejected the criticism, saying he would not be intimidated, but emphasized that he does not seek confrontation. The death penalty is still permitted in more than two dozen U.S. states, although in many it is not effectively applied.
Based on: Pope Leo calls for worldwide abolition of death penalty