Pope Leo condemns capital punishment amid US execution push

Pope Leo condemned capital punishment for a second day running on Friday, calling for its abolition in the United States just as President Donald Trump's administration moved to broaden methods of execution for federal inmates.

In a message sent to DePaul University in Chicago to mark the 15th anniversary of the state of Illinois abolishing the death penalty, the pope said the Catholic Church taught that every human life was sacred from the moment of conception.

"The right to life is the very foundation of every other human right," the pope said. "For this reason, only when a society safeguards the sanctity of human life will it flourish and prosper."

Leo said effective prison systems could protect citizens while preserving the possibility of redemption for people convicted of serious crimes.

His comments come a day after a reporter had questioned him about news of waves of executions in Iran. "I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people's lives. I condemn capital punishment," he had replied.

Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Justice Department said the government should expand the methods available for carrying out federal executions, citing difficulties in obtaining drugs for lethal injections.

In a report, the department said execution protocols should be modified to include methods such as firing squads, electrocution and gas asphyxiation, alongside lethal injection.

The move follows Trump's pledge to resume capital punishment. His predecessor, Joe Biden, had commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, leaving three facing execution.

Pope Leo, the first pontiff from the United States, has regularly rebuked the Trump administration over the past year, criticising his administration's clampdown on migrants and repeatedly denouncing the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Trump in turn has called Leo "terrible".

-Crispian Balmer/Reuters