Vatican City: The Vatican is raising the
possibility of a diplomatic effort to try to spare the life of
an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned for adultery.
In its first public statement on the case, the
Vatican decries stoning as a particularly brutal form of
capital punishment.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said
Sunday the Catholic church opposes the death penalty in
general.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is a widow convicted of
adultery. Her son, Sajad, told an Italian news agency he was
appealing to the pope to work to stop the execution.
Lombardi said that no formal appeal had apparently
reached the Vatican, but said the Holy See is closely
following the case and hinted it could use behind-the-scenes
diplomacy to try to help.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, September 05, 2010, 21:33