Pope Benedict XVI is keeping a close eye on the case of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning and may involve himself in trying to prevent her punishment through the appropriate diplomatic channels, the Vatican said on Sunday.
The pope has made similar moves in the past in humanitarian cases, but his intervention is dependent upon being asked by authorities in another country and also great care is given to ensure the matter goes through proper diplomatic channels, and not publicly, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a statement.
"The Holy See is following the case with attention and participation," Lombardi said. "The position of the church, which is opposed to the death penalty, is that stoning is a particularly brutal form."
Presently, the Italian government is at the forefront of pleading clemency for the woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.
Ashtiani was condemned to death by stoning after she was convicted of adultery, although the Iranian judiciary have yet to confirm that this is considered a final verdict on her case, reports CNN.com.
A large photo of Ashtiani has been hung outside Italy's Equal Opportunities Ministry to increase public awareness of her predicament.
"'This unprecedented act aims to mobilize opinion and contribute to saving Sakineh from a brutal, unacceptable sentence,'' Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna said in a joint statement.
''The case is being followed closely by the foreign ministry and personally by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who has given instructions for close bilateral relations to be maintained with the Iranian authorities so that they consider clemency in this specific case,'' a recent ministry statement said.
Italy has some leverage with Iran since it is a key trade partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $8 billion in 2009 alone.
In other news related to this case, Ashtiani has also been sentenced to 99 lashes because her lawyer inadvertently allowed the publication of a picture of her without a headscarf. She was sentenced to this further punishment by a prison judge for spreading “corruption and indecency” with the photo.