Church in the World

Cardinal clashes with new president on death penalty

Peru

Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, Archbishop of Lima, last week criticised Peru's new President, Alan García, for advocating the death penalty for child rapists and murderers. "The Church does not defend or authorise the use of the death penalty," the cardinal said in a communiqué. "There are very few occasions on which the problems of society can be solved in this way."

Mr García set off an impassioned debate when he included the reintroduction of the death penalty in his election manifesto earlier this year. Even some members of his cabinet, including Justice Minister María Zavala and Foreign Minister José Antonio García Belaúnde, have opposed bringing back capital punishment, which was abolished in 1979.

The measure nevertheless has its supporters. More than 500 rapes of children under 14 were reported to the police in the first three months of this year alone, and many more are believed to have gone unreported. Highly publicised cases set off a wave of popular revulsion, and Mr García claims that bringing back the death penalty has the backing of more than 80 per cent of the Peruvian public, including prominent members of Congress. He has suggested putting the question to a referendum.

Cardinal Cipriani conceded last week that people's feelings should be taken into account, but he said it was more important for those in power to think calmly before reaching a decision. He suggested setting up a committee on the death penalty, the reintroduction of which would require a constitutional amendment. Only Cuba and Guatemala in Latin America still apply the death penalty.