They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine.” cħWhen he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, “Come forward.”ĨI looked, and there was a pale green * horse. It said, “A ration of wheat costs a day’s pay, * and three rations of barley cost a day’s pay. And he was given a huge sword.ĥWhen he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, “Come forward.” I looked, and there was a black horse, * and its rider held a scale in his hand.ĦI heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. aģWhen he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, “Come forward.”Ĥ * b Another horse came out, a red one. * He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories. 1 * Then I watched while the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures cry out in a voice like thunder, “Come forward.”ĢI looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow. I FRANCIS, Address to participants in the meeting organised by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, 11 October 2017: L’Osservatore Romano, 13 October 2017, 5.The First Six Seals.

Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.Ĭonsequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”, i and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes.

Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.

Usccb catechism