Manila, Philippines, Jan 31, 2017 / 19:37 pm
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines voiced strong objections to proposals intended to reinstate the death penalty in the country.
"The Gospel of the Lord Jesus is the Gospel of Life. It is this Gospel we must preach. It is this Gospel that we must uphold," Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said Jan. 30.
"We therefore unequivocally oppose proposals and moves to return the death penalty into the Philippine legal system," he added. "We urge the government to champion life for all!"
Speaking on behalf of the national bishops' conference, Archbishop Villegas pointed to the 2006 repeal of legislation that imposed the death penalty for heinous crimes, calling this repeal "a considerable stride in the defense of life." He said there is an "unmistakable" global trend against the death penalty and international agreements oblige the country not to impose it.