A leading Vietnamese Catholic bishop has welcomed the government’s move to abolish the death penalty for eight criminal offenses, describing it as a sign of progress in the country’s legal and moral framework.
In a pastoral letter released on June 29, Bishop Joseph Nguyễn Đức Cường of Thanh Hóa, who heads the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, called the decision “a humane and progressive policy” and urged further reforms toward the complete abolition of capital punishment.
The National Assembly of Vietnam approved amendments to the Penal Code on June 25 during its 9th session, officially removing the death penalty for eight offenses. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2025.
“The decision marks an encouraging step forward in legal consciousness, aligning with the spirit of international conventions,” Bishop Cường wrote. “It affirms the merits of a modern rule-of-law state where life is protected, human dignity is respected, and opportunities for rehabilitation are opened.”
The bishop said the Church “consistently upholds the right to life as a fundamental and inviolable human right,” rooted in both universal moral conscience and the Christian ethical tradition.
Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he emphasized: “The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
Bishop Cường also referred to Pope Francis’ call for the abolition of capital punishment during the Jubilee Year of Hope. He quoted the pope’s apostolic letter, The Hope That Does Not Disappoint, in which the pontiff reiterated the Church’s stance on the sanctity of life.
The Commission expressed hope that the Vietnamese government would continue to strengthen its justice system by “moving toward a complete abolition of the death penalty,” and adopting “severe but rehabilitative penalties that balance justice, truth, and humanity.”
“May God, who is rich in mercy, pour out His wisdom and courage upon lawmakers and all of you,” Bishop Cường concluded, “so that together we may build a civilization of love and life.”
