At the beginning of December, Pope Francis called for people to pray “for those on death row in the United States,” and that the inmates’ “sentences may be commuted.”
President Joe Biden is reportedly weighing the option of commuting the sentences of inmates currently on federal death row, as indicated by a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Sources familiar with the situation have informed the outlet that Biden is contemplating commuting the sentences of “most, if not all” of the 40 men on death row.
In a response to these reports, Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin highlighted that notorious cases, such as those of Charleston church shooter Dylan Roof and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, are included among the federal death row inmates.
According to the WSJ, if Biden decides to commute these sentences, the inmates—convicted of murder—would instead serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
While a spokesperson from the White House noted that no final decision has been made, some sources suggest that a determination could be reached by Christmas.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis urged prayers for death row inmates in the United States, expressing hope that their sentences might be commuted. He emphasized this call on social media, asking followers to reflect on the lives of these individuals and to seek "divine grace to save them from execution".
Photo: Reuters