In the Pope's Own Words

We managed to obtain a copy of the Pope's letter (PDF) to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, calling for the commutation of Troy Davis' death sentence, in light of "strong claims of innocence," including now-recanted eyewitness testimony that appears to have resulted from police coercion.

More from the letter:

This particular case is all the more disturbing inasmuch as the public record indicates that most of the "witnesses" have recanted their testimony, alleging that their statements were coerced; Mr. Davis' conviction was not based on any physical evidence and the murder weapon was never found. While I am certain that these facts have been presented to you, I reiterate them so as to underscore that this is a case which merits very special consideration. It is deeply troubling taht the State of Georgia might proceed with this execution, given the lack of evidence and the strong claims of innocence in this particular case.

Read it for yourself. Click below.

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The POPE Calls on Georgia to Spare Troy Davis

The Pope himself has formally called on the state of Georgia to spare Troy Davis from his death sentence.

The Vatican delivered a letter to Governor Sonny Perdue on Monday, the same day Mr. Davis's stay was granted.

"In the name of Pope Benedict XVI, I am respectfully asking you to commute Troy's sentence to life in prison without parole," wrote Monsignor Martin Krebs, the office's charge d'affaires.

Meanwhile, the Board of Pardons and Parole is considering the new evidence presented to it, and in their own words:

Scheree Lipscomb, a spokeswoman for the board, said it has received thousands of letters from Davis supporters, including U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, and it will treat the pope's letter like all others. She said the board is aware of the letters, but its responsibility is to review the facts in the case.

Hopefully they will consider the fact that the Pope and everyone outside of the Georgia DA's office agrees that refusing to commute Mr. Davis's sentence would be a serious miscarriage of justice.

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