Pope Francis calls for end to the death penalty

Pope Francis
(Image credit: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

Speaking to a crowd at St. Peter's Square on Sunday, Pope Francis called for a global ban on the death penalty, Reuters reports.

"The commandment 'You shall not kill' has absolute value and applies to both the innocent and the guilty," he said.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.