Some 35 inmates were flown in from Spain, while the others were Italian, British, Latvian, Malagasy, Malaysian, Mexican, Dutch, South African and US detainees from Italian prisons, the Vatican said earlier this week. Fisichella said Francis is regularly in contact with death row inmates, but refused to give more details. The Vatican has long opposed the death penalty, arguing that only God can take a person's life. "Forgiveness is the essence of the love which can understand mistakes and mend them," Francis wrote on Twitter on Saturday. It offers the faithful a special chance to make pilgrimages and seek a general pardon for their sins as they walk through a symbolic holy door.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 06, 2016 10:13 UTC