Dear Editor,
Fifty years of Independence is surely a cause for great celebration! At the same time it is an opportunity to look back and to look forward, to determine our desire for our own future.
We recognize that today Guyana is a violent country and many of its people live in fear. But we believe in the Guyanese people ‒ in their wisdom; their faith in God, in the future and in one another; in their ability to work together to face challenges and to make Guyana a better place for all to live in peace and community. We encourage this beautiful country to take the courageous step of abolishing death penalty. This would make a strong statement about our respect for the value of life and the dignity of the human person.
The death penalty is immoral and hypocritical. God has told us, “You shall not kill.” If we agree that taking the life of another human being is the most evil of acts, how can we justify a punishment which perpetuates violence by doing the very thing we so adamantly condemn? It is a kind of revenge which eliminates any possibility of rehabilitation. As Gandhi has said, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”
Pope Francis has invited the entire world to celebrate 2016 as a year of Mercy and has called for a moratorium and eventual abolition of the death penalty. How wonderful if, as we celebrate our Golden Jubilee of Independence, Guyana could lead the world in taking such a bold and courageous step.
Yours faithfully,
Sister Judith Schmelz RSM
and The Sisters of Mercy of Guyana