Pope Leo XIV on Saturday called for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, despite the US administration considering expanding its use, LETA reports citing DPA.
"Human dignity does not disappear even after very serious crimes," said Leo XIV in a video message, marking 15 years since the abolition of the death penalty in his home state of Illinois in the USA.
"The Catholic Church has always taught that the life of every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, is sacred and deserves protection," said Leo XIV, who became the first pope from the USA last year.
"Indeed, the right to life is the foundation of all other human rights," he noted. "Therefore, only when society protects the sanctity of human life can it thrive and develop," the pope added.
Leo XIV expressed support for "those who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the USA and around the world."
The death penalty is permitted in more than twenty of the 50 states in the USA, although in several states it is no longer effectively applied.
Leo XIV's video message was released shortly after calls in the USA to expand the use of the death penalty.
The Justice Department, led by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch, has called for federal executions of criminals sentenced to death to be carried out by firing squad.
US President Donald Trump reinstated the death penalty at the federal level during his first term, but it was suspended by his successor, former President Joe Biden, who imposed a moratorium. Now, Blanch is seeking to resume the application of the death penalty at the federal level.
Currently permitted methods of execution include lethal injection, the electric chair, and firing squad, which is allowed in five states.
Relations between the US president and Leo XIV have recently become very tense.
Trump has criticized the pope in several posts on his platform "Truth Social," claiming that he is "weak on crime."
Leo XIV dismissed Trump's unusual public criticism and made it clear that he cannot be intimidated. However, he later emphasized that he is not interested in confrontation with the US president.
