The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart expressed his deepest sympathies today to the families of Andrew Chan and Myurun Sukumaran following their executions in Indonesia last night. ‘Today, I assure both families that you are in my thoughts and prayers.’
The imposition of the death penalty doesn’t achieve what people think it achieves, Archbishop Hart said. ‘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.
Released by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference