Head Of Hungarian Catholic Church: Death Penalty Goes Against Catholicism
- 22 May 2015 9:00 AM
The teachings of the Catholic Church dictate that crime prevention and an effective and humane justice system should be pursued rather than restoration of the death penalty, Cardinal Péter Erdő, head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, told Inforádió. The cardinal noted that the Catechism of the Catholic Church had a full chapter devoted to the question of the death penalty, which says that the state must protect its citizens by acting on its right of legitimate defence.
Erdő said it was possible for the state to protect its citizens from “the most serious crimes” without applying the death penalty.
He said throughout history the questions of just war, legitimate defence and collective defence were always problematic in terms of justice.
Erdő said the same was true for capital punishment, and noted miscarriages of justice, show trials and unfair trials which had resulted in innocent people being sentenced to death and executed.
The cardinal said such an outcome should be avoided at all cost.
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