Pope Francis Calls for Clemency for Kelly Gissendaner

ATLANTA - Pope Francis is now weighing in on the scheduled execution of Kelly Gissendaner.

The Pontiff has sent a letter to the Georgia Parole Board asking that her sentence be commuted.

Just hours before her scheduled execution, representatives from the Archdiocese of Atlanta spoke about the pope's request.

The 47-year-old was sentenced to death for her role in planning a murder-for-hire scheme to kill her husband, Douglas Gissendaner in 1997.

She is scheduled to be executed Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Gissendaner would be the first woman executed in the state in 70 years.

The Pope's voice has been added to a small chorus of notable figures asking to stop her execution in recent days.