Pope Leo rejects death penalty

Pope Leo XIV used a Vatican address on May 15 to reject the death penalty in campaigns against organized crime and drug trafficking, saying criminal justice must respect the dignity of offenders as well as victims. Speaking to participants in an OSCE-linked conference in the Clementine Hall, Leo said a “just, humane and credible” system should combine the rule of law, prevention and criminal justice. He said those efforts must also include re-education and reintegration for offenders. (vatican.va) He added that the same principle of human dignity rules out “the death penalty, torture, and every form of cruel or degrading punishment.” (infovaticana.com) The remarks widened a theme Leo has pushed in the opening year of his pontificate: that the Church’s response to modern crises, including technology, war and criminal violence, begins with the dignity of the human person. Vatican News said the pope tied the anti-crime message to support for treatment, psychological care and rehabilitation for people suffering addiction, and warned that social media can spread misinformation that minimizes the damage caused by narcotics. ### What exactly did Leo say about capital punishment? Leo told the conference on Friday that “true justice cannot be satisfied with punishment alone” and said criminal justice should be marked by “perseverance and mercy” aimed at re-education and reintegration. (vatican.va) In the official Vatican text, he said respect for the “inherent dignity of every person, including those who have committed crimes,” precludes capital punishment and torture. The Vatican framed the speech as an address to the Second Inter-parliamentary Conference on the Fight against Drugs and Organized Crime, promoted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which Vatican News described as a grouping of 57 states across Europe, North America and Central Asia. (vaticannews.va) ### How does this fit with Leo’s earlier statements? On April 24, Leo sent a video message to DePaul University in Chicago for an event marking 15 years since Illinois abolished the death penalty. In that message, published by the Vatican press office, he said “the dignity of the person is not lost even after very serious crimes are committed” and repeated the Church’s teaching that the death penalty is “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” (vatican.va) During an in-flight press conference on April 21, Vatican News also reported that Leo condemned the death penalty while speaking about war and international law after his Africa trip. (vaticannews.va) That places the May 15 speech within a run of recent interventions, rather than as a one-off comment tied only to drug trafficking policy. ### Why did Leo talk about drugs and organized crime in the same speech? The Vatican text linked drug trafficking to criminal networks that “imperil the very future of our societies” and said the response must join law enforcement with wider social action. (press.vatican.va) Leo backed initiatives for an “effective, just, humane and credible” criminal justice system and called for comprehensive programs offering medical treatment, psychological support and rehabilitation to people trapped by addiction. Vatican News said Leo also called education “the key to prevention” and warned that social media can circulate misinformation that trivializes the risks of narcotics. (vaticannews.va) He said education should begin in families and schools and include scientific knowledge about the effects of drugs on the brain, body and conduct. ### Where does artificial intelligence enter this story? Infovaticana reported on May 15 that Leo’s first encyclical, expected to address artificial intelligence, peace and international law, had been pushed back from May 15 to later in the month. The outlet said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists that an announcement about the document would come on May 22, while adding that neither the final date nor the title had been officially confirmed by the Holy See. (vatican.va) A Vatican document published on January 28, 2025, “Antiqua et Nova,” set out the Holy See’s recent thinking on AI and human intelligence. (vaticannews.va) Vatican News said that text examined both the potential and the risks of artificial intelligence, including inequality, manipulation of public opinion and the expansion of war-making tools beyond human control. ### What comes next from the Vatican? May 22 is the next date named publicly in connection with Leo’s expected encyclical, according to Infovaticana’s report citing Bruni. The official Vatican websites had published Leo’s May 15 anti-crime address and his April 24 death-penalty message, but had not, in the material reviewed, posted a formal announcement of the encyclical by May 16. (infovaticana.com) (vatican.va) (vaticannews.va)