The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, with the cooperation of the Corinda-Graceville Parish, will again hold a death penalty prayer vigil on Good Friday, 29 March 2013.

The vigil will be held at noon at Christ the King Catholic Church, Churchill Street, Graceville.

The Good Friday vigils began in 2008 and are held in the home parish of the family of Scott Rush who was convicted of drug offences in Indonesia and sentenced to death.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that, while Scott Rush is no longer facing the death penalty, two other Australians, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, are still on death row.

“We think it is important to spend time in prayer and solidarity with those who face execution, with their families and with the victims of crime,” Mr Arndt said.

“As we remember Jesus’ death on the cross, the love which his cross symbolises prompts us to spend time in prayer for those who face the executioner,” he said.

“There is no doubt that some of those on death row have done some terrible things, but we are asked to pray for them and to encourage them to turn their backs on sin rather than to condemn them,” he said.

“Even though he no longer faces execution, we continue to pray for Scott Rush and his family too as life imprisonment in another country is not an easy thing to bear,” he said.

“We also encourage people to promote abolition of the death penalty around the world,” 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 Mandate 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.