Sunday Times 2
Death penalty: Cardinal’s clarification on Sunday Punch remarks
View(s):The Archbishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has sent us a reply, clarifying a statement attributed to him in last week’s Don Manu’s column headlined ‘….. Execute them, says the Archbishop’. The following is the full text of the Archbishop’s letter:
My attention has been drawn to a comment that has been published in the Sunday Times of July 15, 2018 under the heading “Execute them” says the Archbishop.
Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith
Though in this column, the columnist, Don Manu seems to give the impression that ‘I welcome the death penalty’ in toto, that is a conclusion erroneously arrived at as a result of partial reporting of an interview I gave, by the Daily Mirror newspaper of July 13, 2018. The interview was given in Sinhala. The Daily Mirror report was headlined “We support President’s decision on capital punishment”. These words, unfortunately, do not express the totality of the picture I gave. The entire interview, however, was published verbatim in Sinhalese by the Lankadeepa on July 13, 2018.
What I stated on this matter, translated to English is as follows “It has been reported in the newspaper media that some of the prisoners condemned to death and presently residing in the prisons are organising activities of criminality from the prisons”. Then I said “we should condemn this kind of action as unacceptable. Here, there seems to be two questions that emerge. The first one concerns the whole complex of the prisons, the ministry and the officials in charge of the prisons. If all these institutions are fulfilling their responsibilities well, how could such activities originate from the prisons? It was reported that once an underworld criminal condemned to the prison and taken there by the guards had been carried on the shoulders of the other prisoners in a kind of welcoming ceremony in the prison. Who is authorising and giving them permission to do such things? We express our surprise about such activities taking place in the prison. How could such things happen where there are prison officials and those responsible for the administration? I believe, therefore, that an inquiry needs to be held and a proper reform of the prisons be carried out. It is the responsibility of our political leadership.
“We always treat with kindness our prisoners on the basis of our culture and this extends also to those condemned to capital punishment in Sri Lanka. Capital punishment is not carried out in our country mainly because of our religious traditions; our religions teach us that human life is a precious thing. For this reason, we can never agree to kill someone.
“Yet, if there are prisoners who engage in drug importation and distribution or in the perpetration of violence through the underworld causing death to others, there is no injustice in implementing whatever punishment which has been received by them through the Courts of Law. It is a larger question if all those who have received a death sentence should be executed. There should be a bigger discussion on that matter as such sentences may be flawed.
“People in prison who engage in organising such crimes are doing a grave harm to society. They commit a grave sin. Thus there is nothing wrong in punishing such people. Not all people fall into that special category. They could be identified on the basis of only credible witnesses and solid facts. That is up to the justice system to do. Perpetrators of such gruesome crimes could be considered as having forfeited their own right to life. Because such activities cause death to other people. His Excellency the President has not expressed the idea of executing all those who are condemned to death.
“We support the consideration he has shown towards the upholding of the rule of law. It is a way in which the violent activities of the underworld can be curtailed which the State is obliged to do. It is the misfortune of this country that such harmful activities continue to happen with impunity from the prisons.” [Lankadeepa, 13th July 2018, p. l4].
From the above it is clear that neither have 1 advocated a re-introduction of the death penalty carte blanche as Don Manu seems to have understood nor have I desired to close my eyes and do nothing before this terrible phenomenon our country is faced with at present which causes death and violence in the streets and the destruction of the cream of our youth who become drug addicts at an age as early as their adolescence being exposed to drugs even in their schools. This is being done by drug cartels operated at times from the prisons. That was the concern and context of my statement.
Hundreds of parents have approached our clergy and expressed their horror at what happened to some of their children. Several cases of suicide by youth consuming drugs have been reported to us. The Archdiocese in fact organised two protest marches against drug peddlers in Ragama and in Negombo with thousands of our faithful participating and I have listened to the tearful tales of so many mothers whose families have been rendered destitute by the drug menace. Should we wash hands like Pilate and wait till our children are destroyed?
The Holy Father Pope Francis has in fact not accepted the death penalty which is also my own position invariably. I am not for a generalised return of capital punishment. It should be the last option, if at all.
In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that: “Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only way of effectively defending human life against the unjust aggressor” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, revised edition, 1997 No. 2267].
Thus, I have acted on this matter with a sense of total awareness of the gravity of this situation, in faithfulness to what my faith teaches me on the matter and in consideration of the tragedy that continues to strike our youth and the nation and my responsibility before God and our people in addressing this serious national issue. May I also refer to what Jesus, the Lord, mentioned with regard to those who cause scandal and mislead our children and youth in order to gain filthy lucre for themselves: “It would be better for you, if a mill stone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble” [Lk. 17:2].
And finally, with regard to the writer’s comment that by this statement of mine I have “hanged the chances to become the third world’s first South Asian Pope”, I only have to state that I am hardly anyone worthy of such responsibilities for which God will choose in His own time someone far better than me. St. Thomas Aquinas speaking about ambition once mentioned: “whoever seeks a ruling office is either unjust or proud. And therefore, no one ought to succeed to a ruling office by his desire but only by God’s judgment” [Quodl. 2, 6, 1]. We should always remember what the Lord Jesus told His disciples: “So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say “we are worthless servants, we have done only what we ought to have done” [Lk. 17:10].
The error which responsible journalists and writers should always avoid is to write their comments based on reported speech which often is misquoted or misinterpreted and does not reflect statements in their proper context and background. My point is that the State should not bring back the death sentence, but that criminal minds that seek to destroy social peace and harm hundreds of others putting into ridicule law and order and challenging humanity to stop them if possible, should not go unpunished for their criminal behaviour even after being condemned.
- Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith
Archbishop of Colombo