CBCP reiterates opposition to death penalty
IT’S a big NO to death penalty.
This was made clear by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) as it reiterated its unequivocal opposition to proposals and moves to restore the death penalty.
In a January 30 statement on the death penalty issued by CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said, “We took a considerable stride in the defense of life when we repealed the Heinous Crimes Act that provided for the death penalty in what were considered “heinous crimes”.
The CBCP regrets that there are strident efforts to restore the death penalty.
“Though the crime be heinous, no person is ever beyond redemption, and we have no right ever giving up on any person,” it said.
“When we condemn violence, we cannot ourselves be its perpetrators, and when we decry murder, we cannot ourselves participate in murder, no matter that it may be accompanied by the trappings of judicial and legal process,” it added.
The CBCP pointed out that throughout the world, the trend against the death penalty is unmistakable, and international covenants, one of which the Philippines is party to, “obligate us not to impose the death penalty”.
“We urge the government to champion life for all!” it said.
It may be recalled that then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 9346 into law prohibiting the imposition of death penalty in 2006. (Tita Roces)
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