Seoul (AsiaNews) - On behalf of "all the leaders of the seven major religions of the country, I asked Parliament for the abolition of the death penalty by the end of the year. I have also met with the Speaker of the National Korean Assembly for half an hour, asking him to help this to abolish capital punishment”, says Msgr. Lazzaro You Heung-sik, president of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace.
He was speaking to AsiaNews following a meeting of religious leaders with Korean parliamentarians. Yesterday's visit follows the one on July 6, in which religious leaders presented a petition to support bipartisan legislation for the abolition of capital punishment.
"This time we were with a federation representing seven major religions in the country - said Msgr. You - After the meeting in Parliament we had a press conference. I made the official greeting at the beginning and then we read a joint statement, on the part of each religion. We wanted to give a strong push and urge the politicians to act".
In 2010 the Korean Constitutional Court voted for the second time (after 1996) in favor of the death penalty, considered necessary to preserve the public good. The Church has always stood against this decision. However, public opinion seems to have changes, and now the majority of political representatives are in favor of its abolition.
The meeting of Msgr. You with the President of the National Assembly was positive: "He has agreed with us - says the prelate - and assured me he would do everything possible to pass the law. For now, 172 of 299 deputies have signed a petition to abolish the death penalty, which we presented last July. "