In his address to Congress, Pope Francis touched on a number of divisive issues in American politics that excite passions in liberals, but his words encouraging the abolition of the death penalty in particular may have resonated most within the White House.
Asked by reporters on Thursday to respond to the pontiff’s call on justice systems to “never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation,” administration spokesman Josh Earnest said the President, too, shares concerns about capital punishment.
“I think it’s fair to say that the President’s views are influenced by statements that are made by the Pope,” Earnest stated.
He went on to say that the President has, in the past, “noted his concerns” about the “racial disparities” in how the death penalty is applied.
Earnest also referenced the work of charity groups that seek to exonerate inmates on death row, noting there are “serious questions about those who’ve already been put to death.”
The administration, though critical of its application, has largely endorsed the use of the death penalty. The Justice Department sought and, in May, secured, a capital punishment sentence for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, despite 85 percent of the city’s population being opposed to the move.
A Washington Post report from July noted that the President may be evolving on the issue—though likely not quickly enough to stop Tsarnaev from facing a lethal injection. Harvard Law Professor Charles J. Ogletree, a former teacher of Obama’s, told the paper that the chief executive could be an opponent of the death penalty within two years.
“Even if he doesn’t change his mind in the next year and a half, I think the public’s point of view is going to influence him,” Ogletree said.
Although 56% of Americans still support the death penalty, according to a Pew Research poll, that number is far lower than the 78% who approved of the practice 20 years ago.
“He’s not there yet, but he’s close, and needs some help,” Ogletree added of the President.
The Pope’s message Thursday may have been of some assistance to Obama, but not yet enough to reverse course on capital punishment. Earnest was quick to tell reporters that he didn’t have any new capital punishment policy positions to announce.
