The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has changed Church teaching about the death sentence. The new teaching says that the earlier policy was outdated and that the church should work to end the death penalty. The Vatican said the Pope approved a change Thursday to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the collection of the Church's official teaching. In the past, the catechism said the Church does not object to the death penalty, in its words, “If this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.” The new teaching, published on August 2, said “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” The death penalty is no longer used in most of Europe and South America. But it is still legal punishment in the United States and in several countries in Asia, Africa and the Mideast.