Pope Francis' September Prayer Intentions
FREE Catholic Classes
Pope Francis made the appeal in his September prayer intention, shared with an accompanying video on Aug. 31.


Highlights
Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com/ )
8/31/2022 (1 year ago)
Published in Living Faith
Keywords: Pope Francis, Prayer Intention, Monthly Prayer Intention, Death Penalty
"We pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country," reads the prayer intention, promoted by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.
In the video explaining his prayer intention, Pope Francis said that "the death penalty is morally inadmissible as it destroys the most important gift we have received: life."
"Let us not forget that, up to the very last moment, a person can convert and change," the pope said.
"And in the light of the Gospel, the death penalty is unacceptable. The commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' refers to both the innocent and the guilty."
More people were executed by the death penalty in 2021 than the year prior, with 579 executions recorded in 18 countries, according to Amnesty International.
The most known executions took place in China, followed by Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
In the United States, 11 people were executed by lethal injection last year in the states of Texas, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
Catholic bishops in the US, notably Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, have advocated for individual prisoners on death row this year.
While the Church teaches that capital punishment is not intrinsically evil, both Pope Francis and his immediate predecessors have condemned the practice in the West.
Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to state that the death penalty is "inadmissible."
Fr. Thomas Petri, O.P., a moral theologian at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., told CNA at the time that he thinks this change "further absolutizes the pastoral conclusion made by John Paul II."
"Nothing in the new wording of paragraph 2267 suggests the death penalty is intrinsically evil. Indeed, nothing could suggest that because it would contradict the firm teaching of the Church," Fr. Petri continued.
In the pope's video message, he urged "all people of goodwill to mobilize for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the world."
"Society can effectively repress crime without definitively depriving the offenders of the possibility of redeeming themselves," Pope Francis said.
---
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
St. Faustina Kowalska
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Saint of the Day for Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023
-
Popular Saints
-
St. Francis of Assisi
-
Bible
-
Female / Women Saints
-
7 Morning Prayers you need to get your day started with God
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Daily Catholic
Daily Readings for Sunday, December 03, 2023
St. Francis Xavier: Saint of the Day for Sunday, December 03, 2023
Prayer to Saint Therese De Lisieux for Guidance: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, December 03, 2023
- Daily Readings for Saturday, December 02, 2023
- St. Bibiana: Saint of the Day for Saturday, December 02, 2023
- The Angelus: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, December 02, 2023
Copyright 2023 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2023 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.