Pope Leo condemns Iranian regime for mass-murder of protesters.
When asked by a reporter whether he condemns the Iranian regime’s executions of anti-regime protesters and the mass-murders on protesters in January, Pope Leo answered that he does condemn it:
“I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment.
I believe human life is to be respected and that all people—from conception to natural death—their lives should be respected and protected.
So when a regime, when a country takes decisions which takes away the lives of other people unjustly, then obviously that is something that should be condemned.”
Conservatives around the word have been waiting for this condemnation, after his initial statement on January 11th about the mass-murders was vague.
Back then, he called for “peace and dialogue” and said “my thoughts turn to the situation currently unfolding in the Middle East, especially in Iran and Syria, where persistent tensions are causing the deaths of many people.”
Now that he has said that he condemns the regime’s unjust campaign of taking lives, many conservatives say that taking a clear moral stance on the issue is something that is very important.
Even though it’s natural that any Pope will speak on sensitive topics in a measured way and will always call for peace, Catholics also remember that it’s important for the head of the Catholic Church to speak out against regime’s which slaughter their own populations just to stay in power.
Pope John Paul II, who had himself lived under both Germany Nazi and Soviet Communist occupation,
never shied away from criticizing communism and the human rights violations as well as crimes against humanity carried out by totalitarian regimes.
After being elected Pope in 1978, he set off for a historic pilgrimage to Poland the next year, during which he publicly warned the communist authorities that the papacy would watch them closely and reminded them of their responsibility "before history and before your conscience".
He became a vocal and strategic supporter of the Solidarity movement in Poland after it was created in 1980, which directly challenged the communist rule in the country.
He ended his famous 1979 sermon in Warsaw by saying:
“Let your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth. The face of this land!”
The words were widely interpreted by the Poles as the Pope calling on them to continue fighting for political change in the country, resulting in the creation of the Solidarity movement a year later.
Today, the Iranian people fight and sacrifice their lives for their nation’s freedom.
They must be reassured that Catholics and conservatives across the world support them in their struggle. May the Vicar of Christ lead the way…