Pope urges Catholic countries not to execute anyone this year
Pope Francis on Sunday called on authorities in Catholic countries not to carry out executions in 2016, expressing hope that the death penalty would be abolished in all countries.
The world's Catholic leader said in his speech at Saint-Pierre Square: "The commandment, 'You shall not kill,' has absolute value and must be applied to innocent people and even to criminals and sinners. Life is a divine gift, and criminals must also enjoy this right."
A total of 10 states in the United States have abolished the death penalty, and in 2015, only 28 people were executed in the country, the lowest number in sixteen years. The death penalty was reinstated in the country in 1976, and a total of 1,422 people have been executed since then. According to the official website for information on executions in the world, 2,984 people are also awaiting execution in US prisons.
China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia had the highest number of executions last year, and after these three countries, Iraq and the United States ranked fourth and fifth in the number of executions.
According to Amnesty International, at least 289 people were executed in Iran in 2014, some of whom were under the age of eighteen at the time of the crime.
