Pope Francis gestures as he leaves at the end of a Jubilee audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, Feb. 20, 2016.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday
called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, saying the
commandment "You shall not kill" was absolute and equally valid for the
guilty as for the innocent.
Using some of his strongest words ever against
capital punishment, he also called on Catholic politicians worldwide to
make "a courageous and exemplary gesture" by seeking a moratorium on
executions during the Church's current Holy Year, which ends in
November.
