The Catholic Church in the Phillipines will petition the new president against reintroducing the death penalty in the country, according to Fides.
The president of the Episcopal Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, said he will seek a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte to urge him to stop his plans to reintroduce the death penalty.
Several bishops have challenged Duterte's plan to submit a measure to Philippine Congress to restore the death penalty, which was abolished in 2006.
He hopes to apply it for offences including drug offences, rape, robbery, car theft and corruption.
The Archbishop of Lipa, Ramon Arguelles, disputed Duterte's claim that the death penalty is a deterrent towards crime. He said he hoped the move "does not happen, especially while the Church celebrates the year of mercy".
Speaking at the Sixth World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Oslo last week, Pope Francis called the death penalty "unacceptable".
"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," he said.
"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."
Bishops in the Philippines echoed the Pope's sentiments.
"God alone has power over life. God gives life and God takes it away. No one should play God," said Bishop of Balanga, Ruperto Santos. Instead, the government should "reform... the judicial and prison system," he added.
