Media Release

Tuesday 12 April 2022

The Good Friday Death Penalty Prayer Vigil returns this Friday after a 2 year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions. The vigil, which has been hosted by the Archdiocesan Justice & Peace Commission in collaboration with Corinda-Graceville Parish, started in 2008.

It will be held on Good Friday, 15 April, at 12 noon at Christ the King Church, Churchill Street, Graceville, in the home parish of Scott Rush who was sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2005. His sentence was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment.

Two other Australians in the Bali 9 group of drug offenders, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were also sentenced to death and subsequently executed.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that the Rush Family plans to attend the vigil.

“Along with the community group, Australians against Capital Punishment, they have always attended the vigil,” he said.

“Sadly for them, it will be 17 years  on Easter Sunday since Scott Rush was imprisoned,” he said.

“Even worse, Scott’s family is not permitted to visit him in jail in Indonesia,” he said.

“Since we last gathered for the vigil, things have changed for the better for a Nigerian Catholic for whom we have been praying every year,” he said.

“We have been in touch with the Brisbane legal team supporting Titus Ani and we will share the news about his death sentence being commuted to a term of imprisonment,” he said.

“We cannot think of a better time to pray for those facing execution than the day on which Jesus was executed,” he added.

Mr. Arndt said that prayers will also be offered for the families of those on death row and for the victims of crime.

All are welcome to attend.

For more information, please contact Peter Arndt on 0409 265 476.