Newsom told Catholic News Service that the pope "immediately brought up the issue of the death penalty" during their meeting on May 16.

The governor said that during their exchange, the pope expressed "how proud he was of the work we're doing in California."

Newsom was at the Vatican for a summit on climate resilience, which brought seven other governors and 16 mayors from around the world to Rome.

Newsom told CNS after his meeting with Pope Francis that he was "struck" by the pope's sudden comments to him on the death penalty.

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Jevan Goulter describes himself as the campaign manager and chief strategist for the Coalition New Zealand Party led by Hannah Tamaki.

On his Facebook page, he has posted a link to an article in the New Zealand Herald along with the comment, "It's with great sadness I suggest this however my arguments are inside the article."

He told the Herald the term euthanasia is just an "umbrella" term for many forms of death, including "involuntary euthanasia", and he believes New Zealanders need to have a more in-depth discussion about the topic before making a final decision.

"If we're already talking about euthanasia, something that's going to threaten our most vulnerable people in this country, the elderly, people with Alzheimer's, dementia patients, people with disabilities, people that suffer from depression and mental illnesses, then should we not just throw a few of these paedophiles who commit heinous crimes against our children?"

He said it was his personal view and it didn't necessarily represent the political party's stance.

Following Goulter's strong stance, the Herald contacted Destiny Church who said the church is currently undertaking its own research on euthanasia and do not yet have a formal position regarding the debate.

Haimona Gray in an article published on metromag.co.nz last month provided an "incomplete list" of the political parties Goulter has associated with, including Labour, the Mana Party, Mana-Internet, TOP and, most recently, the Destiny Church-backed Coalition Party.

"How on earth former Prime Minister Helen Clark, Real Housewife of Auckland Anne "the Champagne Lady" Batley Burton, Silver Fern Maria Tutaia Folau, National Party president Michelle Boag and Brian Tamaki all ended up connected with Goulter is as mysterious and absurd as the man himself," Gray said.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• jevangoulter.com
• noted.co.nz
• Image: instagram.com

In an interview on Radio Australia he said that he hoped that the circumstances surrounding the executions in Indonesia will bring "more light to our into our leadership."

In 2013 Ribat spoke about the church's opposition to the death penalty at a press conference in Port Moresby.

He acknowledged the immense pressure on the Government to curb law and order problems and its moves to introduce maximum penalties to crack down on the country's serious law and order problems.

Speaking on behalf of the other churches, he said the church would live by its principles.

"No life will be taken. We do not have the right to do that but we do have the right to better a person's life," the Archbishop said.

Ribat said there was moral breakdown in PNG society and called on the Government to work with churches to address the serious law and order problems by properly funding and strengthening the law enforcing systems from the top right down to the local level governments and get perpetrators to answer for their crimes.

He said the judicial system needed to be strong and firm in addressing serious law and orders problems.

Bishop Aronold Orowae, the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, has issued a letter laying out the reasons behind the Bishops' opposition to the re introduction of the death penalty.

Capital punishment has not been carried out in PNG for more than 50 years, but was re-activated two years ago when the law was amended to include more offences.

Since then, 13 people have been waiting on death row, but lack of infrastructure has meant there has been no method to enact the capital punishment.

Both Indonesia and Thailand have made offers of financial assistance and expertise.

Source

• Radio Australia International
• Island Business
• asopa.typepad.com
• Image: abc.net.au

The will soon submit the framework to Cabinet for discussion.

The justice minister, Kerenga Kua, says members of government will debate the details of the policy once it is is written.

He says the government will have the final say on which execution method will be used: lethal injection, firing squad, deprivation of oxygen, hanging, or electrocution.

Kua said it was very important to introduce the death penalty in PNG despite "dissenting views from foreign governments...and human rights groups".

"The state in its own sovereign right has determined to go ahead with this process".

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea strongly opposes the introduction of the death penalty

Kua claims that just having the debate on the death penalty had already prevented many "gruesome crimes" and deterred many would-be criminals.

However last year the Archbishop of Mount Hagan, Douglas Young, said, "The evidence continues to show us the death penalty is not a deterrent to violent crime,"

He pointed out that evidence from nations where capital punishment continues to be practiced, the majority of those who commit violent crimes do not think they will be caught with even more of this number believing that even if they are caught, they will not be sentenced and condemned to die.

At the same time, Jack de Groot, CEO of Caritas Australia said "The death penalty equates to state-sponsored violence and will not change anything,"

"We have long known there is no point using violence as a means of preventing violence," he says and insists that rather than expand and update the nation's death penalty law which has not been enforced since 1954, PNG needs to confront the reality of its struggle with violent crime and find solutions that work.

There are 13 prisoners on death row in Papua New Guinea at the moment, some of whom have been awaiting execution for more than a decade.

Source

• Radio New Zealand International
• Pacific Media Centre
• Sydney Catholic
• Image: s3.amazonaws.com