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WASHINGTON (AP) -- A moderate Republican senator sought broad bipartisan support Tuesday for a compromise to block gun purchases by some suspected terrorists, a day after the chamber split along party lines to derail far more sweeping proposals....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump is one of the wealthiest people to ever run for president, but his campaign appears to be flat broke. What's more, fundraising reports show he's used about $6 million in campaign money to pay his own companies and family members....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hillary Clinton rattled off a series of claims about Donald Trump on Tuesday that seemed too strange to be true. Some were. Some weren't....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Surging wildfires on Tuesday forced new evacuations of hundreds of homes across the West, while firefighters worked to beat back a pair of huge adjacent blazes looming over suburban Los Angeles....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans increasingly fear Donald Trump is missing valuable opportunities to build a winning case against Hillary Clinton, compounding their concerns about his campaign's day-to-day decision making and seeming lack of preparedness for the general election....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign (all times EDT):...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a video message to the participants in the Sixth World Conference Against the Death Penalty, taking place this week in Oslo, Norway. The Holy Father put his message in the key of the Year of Mercy, saying, “The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is an auspicious occasion for promoting worldwide ever more evolved forms of respect for the life and dignity of each person.” Pope Francis goes on to say, “It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal.” Please find the full text of the Holy Father’s message below:*************************************Message of His Holiness Pope FrancisSixth World Congress Against the Death PenaltyOslo, 21-23 June 2016I greet the organizers of this World Congress against the death penalty, the group of countries supporting it, particularly Norway as its host country, and all those representatives of governments, international organizatio...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a video message to the participants in the Sixth World Conference Against the Death Penalty, taking place this week in Oslo, Norway. The Holy Father put his message in the key of the Year of Mercy, saying, “The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is an auspicious occasion for promoting worldwide ever more evolved forms of respect for the life and dignity of each person.” Pope Francis goes on to say, “It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal.” Please find the full text of the Holy Father’s message below:
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Message of His Holiness Pope Francis
Sixth World Congress Against the Death Penalty
Oslo, 21-23 June 2016
I greet the organizers of this World Congress against the death penalty, the group of countries supporting it, particularly Norway as its host country, and all those representatives of governments, international organizations and civil society taking part in it. I likewise express my personal appreciation, along with that of men and women of goodwill, for your commitment to a world free of the death penalty.
One sign of hope is that public opinion is manifesting a growing opposition to the death penalty, even as a means of legitimate social defence. Indeed, nowadays the death penalty is unacceptable, however grave the crime of the convicted person. It is an offence to the inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person; it likewise contradicts God’s plan for individuals and society, and his merciful justice. Nor is it consonant with any just purpose of punishment. It does not render justice to victims, but instead fosters vengeance. The commandment “Thou shalt not kill” has absolute value and applies both to the innocent and to the guilty.
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is an auspicious occasion for promoting worldwide ever more evolved forms of respect for the life and dignity of each person. It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal.
Today I would encourage all to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also for the improvement of prison conditions, so that they fully respect the human dignity of those incarcerated. “Rendering justice” does not mean seeking punishment for its own sake, but ensuring that the basic purpose of all punishment is the rehabilitation of the offender. The question must be dealt with within the larger framework of a system of penal justice open to the possibility of the guilty party’s reinsertion in society. There is no fitting punishment without hope! Punishment for its own sake, without room for hope, is a form of torture, not of punishment.
I trust that this Congress can give new impulse to the effort to abolish capital punishment. For this reason, I encourage all taking part to carry on this great initiative and I assure them of my prayers.
(Vatican Radio) As Pope Francis prepares to visit the region, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have confirmed their readiness to seek a peaceful solution to their conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Their remarks followed talks Monday that were hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian made clear they want to finally end years of conflict over Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.As part of that effort, both men said that they had agreed to increase the number of international observers in the battle zone.They made the announcement in a statement issued by the Kremlin following talks in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: Russian President Putin oversaw the talks, the second meeting between Aliyev and Sarkisian since a new truce was established in early April. That ceasefire followed four days of fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh ...
(Vatican Radio) As Pope Francis prepares to visit the region, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have confirmed their readiness to seek a peaceful solution to their conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Their remarks followed talks Monday that were hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian made clear they want to finally end years of conflict over Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
As part of that effort, both men said that they had agreed to increase the number of international observers in the battle zone.
They made the announcement in a statement issued by the Kremlin following talks in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:
Russian President Putin oversaw the talks, the second meeting between Aliyev and Sarkisian since a new truce was established in early April. That ceasefire followed four days of fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan’s military and Armenia-backed separatists.
SCORES KILLED
At least some 75 soldiers reportedly died in what was one of the worst outbreaks of violence since a full-scale war ended in 1994.
The sides have now expressed satisfaction that the cease-fire appears to be holding. That is welcome news for those organizing the
trips of Pope Francis to Armenia and, later this year, to neighboring Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh is officially part of Azerbaijan, but since a separatist war ended in 1994 it has been under the control of forces that claim to be local ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan claims they include regular Armenian military.
A lasting peace can't come soon enough for the people in the region: Already up to 30,000 people were killed in a bloody war the two sides fought from 1988 to 1994 over Nagorno-Karabakh, and there were allegations of human rights abuses by both countries.
By Junno Arocho EstevesVATICANCITY (CNS) -- Use of thedeath penalty is an unacceptable practice that sows vengeance and does notbring justice to the victims of crime, Pope Francis said. Nomatter how serious the crime, to kill a convicted person is "an offense tothe inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person," as well as acontradiction of God's plan and "his merciful justice," the pope saidJune 21 in a video message to participants at the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty. "Itdoes not render justice to victims, but instead fosters vengeance. Thecommandment 'Thou shalt not kill' has absolute value and applies both to theinnocent and to the guilty," the pope said in his message to the meetingin Oslo, Norway. The June 21-23 conference, sponsored by the Frenchassociation, "Together Against the Death Penalty," promotes the universal abolitionof the death penalty. Thegroup expected more than 1,300 people -- including government officials -- frommore than 80 co...
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Use of the death penalty is an unacceptable practice that sows vengeance and does not bring justice to the victims of crime, Pope Francis said.
No matter how serious the crime, to kill a convicted person is "an offense to the inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person," as well as a contradiction of God's plan and "his merciful justice," the pope said June 21 in a video message to participants at the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty.
"It does not render justice to victims, but instead fosters vengeance. The commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' has absolute value and applies both to the innocent and to the guilty," the pope said in his message to the meeting in Oslo, Norway.
The June 21-23 conference, sponsored by the French association, "Together Against the Death Penalty," promotes the universal abolition of the death penalty. The group expected more than 1,300 people -- including government officials -- from more than 80 countries to attend.
Thanking the participants for their commitment to "a world free of the death of penalty," the pope said growing opposition to the death penalty as a legitimate means of social defense is "one sign of hope."
The Year of Mercy, he added, also can serve as an occasion globally to promote "more evolved forms of respect for the life and dignity of each person."
"It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal," he said.
While the Catechism of the Catholic Church says the death penalty can be used "if this is the only possible way" of defending lives from an unjust aggressor, it also stresses the importance of not removing the possibility of redemption from a person convicted of a crime.
"The cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity are very rare, if not practically nonexistent," the catechism states.
Pope Francis echoed the church's teaching, calling on conference participants to also work toward improving prison conditions "so that they fully respect the human dignity of those incarcerated" and promote the rehabilitation of convicts.
"There is no fitting punishment without hope!" Pope Francis said. "Punishment for its own sake, without room for hope, is a form of torture, not of punishment."
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PARIS (AP) -- With a dentist as a coach, a movie director in goal and a squad of mostly unheralded players, the underdogs of Iceland were always going to be the feel-good story of the European Championship....
