Monday 10 November 2008

 

 

Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has vowed to continue its work to promote the universal abolition of the death penalty in the wake of the execution of the three Bali Bombers yesterday.

 

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that the execution of the three Indonesians had done nothing to resolve the problems which caused the killing of 202 people in Bali in 2002 nor to heal the immense pain caused by the terrorist attacks.

 

“The grief and pain suffered by so many survivors and families of those killed in the bombings makes what the bombers did an immense wrong,” Mr Arndt said.

 

“However, State-sanctioned killing does not make things better,” he said.

 

“The psychological and physical damage of survivors and families of victims is still there from all we have heard,” he said.

 

“The unrepentant commitment of the Bombers themselves to violence may have been silenced, but their supporters are still voicing the same hateful ideas,” he said.

 

“The Bombers will now never have a chance to understand the pain they have caused and the victims will never have the opportunity to hear words of remorse from them,” he said.

 

“There will be no chance for reparations to be made by the Bombers to the victims,” he said.

 

“We are still faced with the threat of more violence and terror hanging over our heads and the prospect of other people being killed and families suffering dreadful loss,” he said.

 

“Killing is not the answer to killing,” he said.

 

“Our Commission will continue to promote universal abolition of the death penalty,” he said.

 

“Our Federal Government needs to have an uncompromising commitment to this goal and we will do what we can to encourage this,” he said.

 

“In relation to the threat posed by violent religious extremists in our own region, there needs to be a stronger commitment to supporting inter-religious dialogue and action to respond to this problem,” he said.

 

“It is good to see that some work is being done in this area and we will do what we can to support it,” he said.

 

“We urge Catholics to continue to keep the survivors and victims’ families in their prayers,” he said.

 

“We ask them to also pray for an end to all forms of violence and to support action which promotes peace and universal respect for the dignity of every human person,” he said.

 

For further information, please contact Peter Arndt on (07) 3336 9173 or 0409 265 476.

 

NB  This release is issued with the approval of the Commission or its Executive under the provision of its Charter which enables it to speak in its own right.  The views expressed in it do not necessarily represent the views of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.