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On 30th November more than 2000 cities will light the hope of a world without the death penalty
Post author By Anna Bartoli
"The commandment "thou shall not kill" has absolute value and pertains to the innocent as well as the guilty… The capital punishment is unacceptable, however serious the condemned's crime may have been. It is an offence to the inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person which contradicts God's plan for man and for society and his merciful justice, and it fails to conform to any just purpose of punishment. It does not render justice to the victims, but rather foments revenge". Pope Francis
The awareness of every Christian's duty to contribute to the promotion of a culture of life, has given life to the campaign "Cities for Life Against Death Penalty" of the Community of Sant'Egidio.
Every year, on November 30, which is the anniversary of the first abolition of the death penalty in a European state (the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1786), Sant'Egidio calls every city in the world to express their opposition to the death penalty, illuminating a significant place, to affirm that "there is no justice without life." The Colosseum in Rome is the first of the monuments to be illuminated, in order to say "Yes" to life. And from there, every year, our campaign goes on again.
Today, facing with the challenge of terrorism, or other social emergencies, some countries are tempted to go back, calling a justice that is not in favor of life, in the illusion that such a choice will guarantee security, that instead could been found only with peace.
But it is not a global trend. The good news is that, during the Jubilee of Mercy, more than 200 cities have been added to the number of the Cities for Life, that today are 2153. And many others are joining everyday.
For this, we renew the invitation to all Romans at the Colosseum, Wednesday, November 30, at 18:30 for a meeting which will be attended also by witnesses of the campaign against the death penalty and former prisoners from death row (the final program will be published in the coming days)
And in many other cities in the world (Whach the data on the website)
Everybody can join this event, posting pictures, texts, videos on Cities for Life's page on Facebook or on twitter with the hashtag #nodeathpenalty
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