Earlier on the website of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the book of the Chairman of the Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin “Constitutional justice: procedure and meaning” was published. There Zorkin suggested that once in The death penalty may be revived in Russia.
The representative of the ROC welcomed the fact of the abolition of the death penalty in Russia at the present time.
“The teaching of the church does not contain a ban on the death penalty. However, we believe that the practice of abolishing the death penalty is currently useful in Russia and other countries, because even a person who has committed the most terrible crime can bring repentance, and the possibility of pastoral work with him remains,” Kipshidze said.
He recalled that Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly opposed the restoration of the death penalty. At the same time, Kipshidze noted that there are cases when criminals who have served their sentences have committed repeated crimes. The representative of the church believes that this is what makes compatriots return to the idea of returning capital punishment.
“Not out of bloodlust, but out of concern for the safety of their loved ones. I think that this problem should be solved by such terms of punishment and control that will completely protect people from the repetition of crimes,” Kipshidze said.
In turn, the chairman of the church court of the Moscow diocese, Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, said that the church does not use the death penalty as a canonical punishment.
“I am not responsible for what is happening in the state,” the clergyman stressed.
Earlier, a State Duma deputy from United Russia, Sultan Khamzaev, proposed introducing the death penalty for pedophiles. At the same time, he stressed that it does not matter whether the offender is a repeat offender or he is being tried for this crime for the first time — the “highest measure” must be applied to any of those passing under such an article.