Pope Francis appealed on Sunday (December 8) for U.S. authorities to commute the sentences of death row prisoners, in an unusual request during his weekly Sunday prayer in St. Peter's Square.

Francis is a vocal advocate against the death penalty and changed the Catholic Church's teachings in 2018 to specifically call for a ban on the practice.

But, the pontiff, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church, usually refrains from naming specific countries that continue the practice.

There are about 2,250 prisoners on death row across the U.S., according to the non-profit Death Penalty Information Center. About 40 are federal prisoners.

Some American Catholic groups have been calling on President Biden to commute the federal sentences during his remaining time in office.