Filipino bishops take stand against return of death penalty
January 31, 2017
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines have issued a firm statement against the return of capital punishment.
“We regret that there are strident efforts to restore the death penalty,” the bishops’ statement reads. “Though the crime be heinous, no person is ever beyond redemption, and we have no right every giving up on any person.”
The bishops’ statement, in which they “unequivocally oppose” bids to restore capital punishment, was issued by Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, the president of the episcopal conference.
The Filipino bishops have repeatedly criticized an aggressive campaign of vigilante justice against drug trafficking, in which hundreds of suspected drug dealers have been killed. President Rodrigo Duterte has indicated his approval of the extra-judicial killings.
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