Vatican City, Sep 16, 2019 / 07:48 am
In an audience with penitentiary staff and prison chaplains, Pope Francis said Saturday that sentencing prisoners to life imprisonment diminishes their "right to hope."
"It is up to every society … to ensure that the penalty does not compromise the right to hope, that prospects for reconciliation and reintegration are guaranteed," Pope Francis said Sept. 14 in St. Peter's Square.
"Life imprisonment is not the solution to problems - I repeat: life imprisonment is not the solution to problems, but a problem to be solved," the pope said.
Pope Francis explained that he believes that during the penitentiary process of rectifying mistakes, hope for the future should not be eliminated.