Minsk, June 24, 2013
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"The Belarusian Orthodox Church persistently attracted public attention to the death penalty problem in as early as the 1990s. In 1996, just before the National referendum at which, among other things, the death penalty was discussed, we called upon the Belarusian people to renounce such a legal penalty," said Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus in his address to the participants of the round table, "Religion and death penalty" currently taking place in Minsk.
"We Christians, cannot justify the death penalty as it is the sin of killing... The life of every human being belongs to its Creator--God. We sinful people did not give being to a man, and we must not take his life from him. For the Lord Jesus Christ gave His life for each of us, endured sufferings, humiliations, mockery and death on the Cross... Every time the state executes its citizens, it crucifies Christ," notes Metropolitan Philaret.
"Such was our stand in the year of the referendum. For today it remains unchanged," stressed he.
Referring to the document, “The Foundation of the Social Concept of the Church”, the Metropolitan noted that, "Today many countries have abolished the death penalty by law or they do not practice it any more.” "Remembering that mercy to a fallen man is always preferable to revenge, the Church has always encouraged such steps by state authorities," he added.
