Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Catholic Bishops鈥� Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Archbishop Socrates Villegas has called on lawmakers to reform the country鈥檚 criminal justice system instead of seeking to revive the death penalty.
Speaking at a prayer rally in San Carlos City, the Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop called capital punishment a 鈥渓azy鈥� proposition, and the Philippine justice system 鈥渃orrupt, slow, and one-sided.鈥�
READ: Bishops lead fight vs death penalty
鈥淐leanse the police ranks! Fix all the courts! Tighten (the security) at the Bilibid and other prisons.
Death penalty is a lazy form of penalty instead of helping reform those who made mistakes,鈥� Villegas was quoted as saying by CBCP 黑料社.
鈥淲e are not protesting without a solution. We are protesting with an alternative. Reform the criminal justice system,鈥� he added.
The death penalty bill at the House of Representatives passed committee-level approval by a 12-6 vote, sending it to the plenary for second and third reading.
But deliberations on the measure were postponed to next year by House leaders for a 鈥渇ull debate.鈥�
Opposition lawmakers said the supermajority lacked the numbers.
READ: Death penalty lacks the numbers; House debates reset
Villegas said the Church was not being soft on crime and does not take for granted the plight of victims, but noted that killing criminals is not the solution to criminality.
鈥淏ut the solution is not killing criminals. Our alternative is fullness of life for the guilty and the innocent. Fullness of life for the poor and the rich. Fullness of life for sinners and saints,鈥� he said.
鈥淐hrist died for the criminals and the victims. The love of God is for all. Our love should be like God鈥檚 love. For all,鈥� Villegas added.
READ: Death penalty won鈥檛 deter crime
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said God did not give up on sinners and 鈥渘either should we,鈥� condemning killings as 鈥渁n act of hopelessness and despair.鈥�
鈥淓very life has hope. Every life has an opportunity to be transformed, if only we believe, if only we believe. Because the center of faith is not in the accomplishment of things. The center of faith is Jesus,鈥� Tagle said in an Advent recollection last Sunday.
鈥淢ay we not give up, especially on human lives and may we not give up on every single sinner. There is hope for transformation,鈥� he added. TVJ