VATICAN CITY (CNS): Pope Benedict XVI congratulated Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as she handed him a copy of the law she recently signed outlawing the death penalty in the Philippines.
At the end of a meeting on June 26 with the Pope, President Arroyo gave the pontiff a statue of Our Lady of Guidance and a copy of the law in a leather case, telling him, “These are two expressions of the faith of the Filipino people”.
After the Pope gave her some medals, she spent a couple of moments digging in her purse before pulling out her rosary and asking Pope Benedict to bless it.
Earlier last Monday in the Philippines capital Manila, members of the opposition parties filed an impeachment complaint against President Arroyo in the House of Representatives, alleging that she has condoned political killings and violated the Constitution to silence dissent. She and her supporters deny the charges.
In addition to banning capital sentences in the future, the law changes the death sentences of about 1000 prisoners to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
