Catholic bishops offer help in Australia's stalled campaign to ban death penalty worldwide

Australia's Catholic bishops have offered the Church's assistance in Canberra's concerted but stalled efforts to abolish the death penalty across the world

Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne, the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has written to a Federal Parliamentary inquiry, saying the bishops would be happy to assist the Australian Government where it could to make contacts with appropriate Holy See diplomats.

"The imposition of the death penalty is cruel and unnecessary for what it does to those found guilty, to their families and to our society," Archbishop Hart said in a letter to the Secretary of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, whose Human Rights Sub-Committee is conducting the inquiry.

"Communities are much richer when they can demonstrate mercy.

"We can recognise the seriousness of the offences committed but still oppose the death penalty. Our concern for the worth of human life motivates our opposition to the death penalty.

"The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference would be happy to assist the Australian Government where it can to make contact with appropriate Holy See diplomats.

It would also be pleased to assist where possible with making representations to other national governments with the assistance of the respective National Catholic Bishops Conferences."

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On 21 July, Australia's Foreign Minister, Ms Julie Bishop, asked the Committee to report on Australia's advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty.

Three months earlier, two Australians, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, members of the so-called Bali Nine, were among eight prisoners executed by firing squad on an Indonesian prison island despite having served 10 years for drug smuggling and in defiance of pleas to President Joko Widodo for their death sentence to be commuted.

The bishops' submission said: "The drug crimes Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were convicted of are abhorrent. Justice must prevail and appropriate punishment be used for the common good of the community when crimes are committed.

"But jail sentences, not execution, are the more appropriate means for punishing offenders and deterring those who would consider committing such crimes."

It quoted Pope Francis' speech to the US Congress on 24 September in which he supported the US bishops' efforts to abolish the death penalty, saying "a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation".

The parliamentary committee's website says the Committee "acknowledges that the issue of the death penalty is of great concern to the Australian public, particularly in light of cases of Australians who have or may face capital punishment overseas".

Opposition against the death penalty has hardened in Australia since Nguyen Tuong Van was executed ten years ago by Singapore for smuggling heroin to pay off his brother's drug habit debts (PA)

The committee noted that while there had been a global trend toward abolition, more than half the world’s countries were yet to sign up to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aimed at the abolition of the death penalty, and that in some countries, the use of capital punishment appeared to be increasing.

"Some of Australia’s biggest trading partners and closest allies still impose the death penalty, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan and the United States of America."

On 19 October, Ms Bishop and Australia's Attorney-General, Senator George Brandis, formally launched Australia’s candidacy for membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council for its 2018-20 term, saying in part: "We would continue to be a strong advocate for global abolition of the death penalty, one of Australia’s core human rights objectives."

Australia's last execution was in 1967, while legislation passed in 1973 prohibited capital punishment for Federal crimes.

The parliamentary committee is expected to issue its report by the end of the year.