Pope Leo XIV has condemned the death penalty as "inadmissible," days after death row inmate Christa Pike survived a botched execution by lethal injection. The Head of the Catholic Church described capital punishment as an "attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person" in a post on X.
Pope's statement on capital punishment
In his message, Pope Leo XIV wrote: "The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption."
Christa Pike's botched execution
The Pope's comments come days after Pike, a 50-year-old convicted murderer, became the first US death row inmate ever to survive lethal injection when it was administered on September 30 in Tennessee. Pike has since regained consciousness, with her lawyers providing regular updates on her condition.
This is a breaking story and more updates are expected to follow.
