Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva, three Indonesian Catholics found guilt of being involved in a massacre of Muslims in Poso in 2000, were executed at 1am 22 September. The local Catholic community gathered in pray, hoping until the end for an act of clemency but the judicial machine did not halt.
Fabianus, Marianus e Dominggus faced a firing squad in a place not far from the airport of Palu, the main city in the province of Sulawesi. Defence lawyer Roy Rening said the bodies had been taken for an autopsy to the Police Hospital. The government refused the condemned men’s request to be buried in their home towns and refused to give permission for a funeral vigil in the Catholic cathedral in Palu.
In August Pope Benedict XVI made a request to Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonom, who had postponed the execution, to make an act of clemency. Later the public prosecutor of Sulawesi set a new date for the execution which has been carried out. “This is sad and painful news. Every death penalty is carried it is a defeat for humanity”, the Director of the Holy See’s press office Fr Federico Lombardis aid yesterday. The socially active Rome based S. Egidio Community also asked for the suspension of the execution and re-opening of the trial. A request for a reprieve was sent to Yudhoyono, but to no avail.
In the meantime disorder has broken out in Sulawesi and West Timor. Hundreds of Christians of different denominations staged protests while local police chiefs and religious leaders have called for calm.
Expressing his grief Fr Ignazio Ismartono, in charge of the Indonesian Bishops Office for interreligious affairs told Fides: “I noted however than since the case was taken up by only Christian groups there was a change of perspective. The language of justice and legality gave way to confrontation between religious communities. Muslim groups should have been involved more in our efforts to obtain a moratoria. May the execution of Tibo and his companions help us all to put aside all exclusivism and sectarianism. We must all unite to abolish the death penalty. There is tension let us hope it will not start a new spiral of violence”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 22/9/2006 righe 28 parole 289)
