Pope Francis on Dec. 12 called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, the alleviation of foreign debt and the creation of a global fund to eradicate hunger and combat climate change.
The pope’s request came in his message for the World Day of Peace, which is celebrated by the Catholic Church each year on Jan. 1.
Under the title, “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace,” the document offers three specific proposals in conjunction with the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee Year, a once-every-quarter-century occurrence rooted in the Biblical tradition of forgiving debts.
“I would like once more to propose a concrete gesture that can help foster the culture of life, namely the elimination of the death penalty in…
