The Asian Wall Street Journal described President Arroyo's...

The Asian Wall Street Journal described President Arroyo's "support for the death penalty for kidnappers - a measure she previously stood against" as "particularly brave given the popularity and influence Pope John Paul II has in this overwhelmingly Catholic country. Although opposition to capital punishment is not official Catholic teaching, the pope has made opposing death sentences one of the top priorities of his 23-year reign. But in a country where there have been at least 207 reported kidnappings already in 2001 (many more go unreported), it seems obvious that greater deterrence is needed."