MALAWI: Church, Civil Organization in Malawi Ask Government to Abolish Death Penalty
Rev. Fr. Henry Chinkanda
Fr. Henry Chinkanda
On 22nd November, 2023, the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office in Malawi, together with a Human Rights Firm called Reprieve Fellow, engaged Members of Parliament to lobby for the abolition of the death penalty in this country. The exercise occurred during a celebration of Holy Mass in Parliament whose reflection theme was: Choose life and not death – a call for the abolition of capital punishment in Malawi.
In his homily, Fr. Henry Chinkanda, who is the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Officer, underscored the fact that, in the light of the Gospel value of love, the Church teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, no. 263). The new evangelization calls on followers of Christ to be unconditionally pro-life: people who will proclaim, celebrate, and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. The increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil is a sign of hope and a symbol of God’s unconditional mercy. “I renew the appeal I made . . . for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary”. – Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, Missouri, Jan. 27, 1998.
While the Old Testament includes some passages about taking the life of one who kills, other passages in the same Old Testament and the New Testament call on us to protect life, practice mercy, and reject vengeance and that we should never overcome violence with violence (1 Peter 3: 9).
Fr. Chinkanda continued by citing an example of how God demonstrated his unconditional love and mercy to Cain, who after murdering Abel his brother, was spared and even protected from being killed because of the crime he had committed. This is a wonderful example that humanity should emulate when dealing with such a crime as murder. The Catholic response to crime and punishment is rooted in our conviction about good and evil, sin and redemption, justice and mercy. Each one of us is called to respect the life and dignity of every human being. Even when people deny the dignity of others, we must still recognize that their dignity is a gift from God and is not something that is earned or lost through their behavior.
Respect for life applies to all, even to the perpetrators of terrible acts. For many left behind, a death sentence offers the illusion of closure and vindication. No act, even an execution, can bring back a loved one or heal terrible wounds caused by murder. The pain and loss of one death cannot be wiped away by another death. That is why Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti emphatically and firmly declares that the death penalty is ‘inadmissible’ and should be abolished. (no. 263).
At the end of the Mass, Mr. Alexious Kamangila, who is a Human Rights Lawyer and works for Reprieve Fellow appealed to the Members of Parliament in Malawi to support the private bill motion on the abolition of the Capital Punishment which was expected to be moved in Parliament before the end of November, 2023.
