The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, has this week expressed his deepest sympathies to the families of Andrew Chan and Myurun Sukumaran following their executions in Indonesia on Wednesday morning, 29 April.
“Today, I assure both families that you are in my thoughts and prayers,” the Archbishop said.
The imposition of the death penalty, the Archbishop said, doesn’t achieve what people think it achieves.
“When it comes to crime and punishment, we must recognise and honour the human dignity of both victims and offenders.
“Drug crime is abhorrent. Appropriate penalties must be considered to protect the community, but the imposition of the death penalty is cruel and unnecessary for what it does to those found guilty and for what it does to our society.
“The death penalty is out of step with the great majority of international judicial processes.
“As a community, Australians and our international friends must have a commitment to respect and protect the dignity of every human life, even those who do great harm.
“Andrew Chan, Myurun Sukumaran and their families will be in my prayers.”
Earlier in the week, the Australian Catholic University (ACU) also joined thousands of Australians in a campaign advocating for mercy for the two men.
In a statement released this week, ACU Vice Chancellor Professor Greg Graven said that ACU did this because it is committed to the dignity of the human person, and that applies equally to all human beings: victims as well as those convicted of crimes.
Professor Craven went on to say that, as a Catholic university committed to promoting a culture of life, it stands opposed to the death penalty.
“And, while our calls for mercy for Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran were ultimately rejected, we strongly believe that hope remains for prisoners around the world who face a similar fate,” Professor Craven said.
“The death penalty is a violent, cruel and immoral punishment that has no place in our society. And yet it persists,” he said.
“In memory of Mr Chan and Mr Sukumaran, each of us can take action to end this punishment.