Pope Francis has broken his silence on the protests convulsing Iran, denouncing the recourse to the death penalty there and seemingly legitimising the rallies as “demanding greater respect for the dignity of women”.
Francis made the comments in an annual speech to ambassadors accredited to the Vatican, a foreign policy speech he delivers at the start of each year outlining the areas of greatest concern for the Holy See.Credit:Francis linked the Vatican’s opposition to abortion to its opposition to the death penalty, saying both are a violation of the fundamental right to life. He has changed church teaching on the death penalty, ruling it is “inadmissible” in all circumstances.
Pedestrians walk in front of a mural showing the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, in downtown Tehran on Saturday.At least four people have been executed since the demonstrations began, following internationally criticised, rapid, closed-door trials. Three other protesters, Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghoubi, were told at a recent hearing they too would be executed, the Londonreported on Tuesday.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, asked for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ reaction to the death sentences and executions in Iran, told reporters Monday: “We cannot condemn enough the use of the death penalty.” Francis also referred to Iran in his remarks lamenting the continued threat posed by nuclear weapons in Russia’s war in Ukraine, but also in the breakdown of talks over Iran’s atomic program. Francis has changed church teaching to declare that not only the use of nuclear weapons, but the mere possession of them is immoral.
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