CBCP thumbs down revival of death penalty

MANILA, Philippines—The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) maintained Monday its position against death penalty.

In response to calls to restore capital punishment, the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) said in a statement. said criminals deserve a fair trial and that death penalty has not deterred criminals to commit crimes.

“The stance against the death penalty is in no way a posture to let criminal offenders go scot-free. The CBCP-ECPPC believes in Justice and it is ranked high in its hierarchy of values,” it said.

Those who have transgressed the laws of the land, the CBCP said, should be held answerable and accountable after a fair trial.

“Otherwise, they become effective endorsers of crime and criminal actions, and strong parody for the ethical adage that ‘crime does not pay,’’ the CBCP said.

According to CBCP, the state should consider other alternatives to the imposition of capital punishment to exact justice from crimes.

“Rather than take away precious human life, the Church wants to explore alternatives to mete out justice. For one, it seriously considers—and vigorously advocates—a shift in the paradigm of justice: from litigation to mediation; prosecution to healing; punishment to reform and rehabilitation: from the retributive to the restorative,” the ECPPC added.

Senator Vicente Sotto III filed Senate Bill 2080 seeking the re-imposition of the death penalty to counter the rising criminality in the country.

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