Posted on 09/21/2006 10:49:37 AM PDT by NYer
Palu (AsiaNews) – Indonesian authorities have denied the three Catholic men sentenced to death the right to attend mass one last time before they are executed tonight by a firing squad. The Prosecutor’s Office in Palu has decided that Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva cannot receive the “spiritual guidance” hitherto provided by Fr Jimmy Tumbelaka in Petobo Prison, this according to Father Tumbelaka himself, who is also parish priest at Poso’s Saint Therese Parish church. The clergyman added that the prosecutor also banned a chapel of rest in Palu St Mary’s Cathedral for the three men as they had requested.
“I am deeply disappointed that the Prosecutor’s Office rejected their demand to be confessed and receive the Sacraments one last time,” he said.
The negative decision violates Indonesian law which grants death row convicts the right to have their last wishes properly addressed.
Father Tumbelaka is not discouraged though. In late afternoon he celebrated mass in Petobo Prison, where the families of the three Catholic men were able to attend.
In the meantime, the authorities have set up tight security around the prison in Palu, government buildings, Mutiara Airport and St Mary’s Church.
Tibo and his fellow prisoners were scheduled to die yesterday but the execution was postponed. Although no information is forthcoming, it seems almost certain that they will be executed by firing squad around midnight local time (GMT + 08:00) at an undisclosed location.
According to anonymous sources, a few hours before the “deadline” the three men will be moved to another detention facility before finally reaching their “death scene”—usually an open-air space far from residential areas.
“There are no more tears in our family . . . we have lost the power to cry,” said Robert Tibo, Fabianus’s eldest son. In his last public statement, Robert’s father, Fabianus, said he was “not afraid of dying.” Instead, he said: “I am praying that my family be able to provide for themselves and forgive me for not being with them all these years.”
“My hands are clean. We are innocent,” said Riwu. “It is a political plot to cover 16 names we denounced as the real culprits,” he added. Similarly, for da Silva, the “law is against us. For years we tried to tell the truth but they silenced us”.
As the hours ticked away, several human rights groups, Christian organisations and prominent religious and lay leaders have tried to intervene in Jakarta , calling on the authorities not to carry out the death sentence. For many people, Tibo and his fellow inmates are victims of an unfair trial that was exploited by Islamic fundamentalists for their own purposes.
The three men were found guilty in the massacre of 70 Muslims in the 2000 Poso sectarian clashes, but no one else was tried for the crime.
Disgusting barbarians.
Off topic, but can a Roman Catholic go to a Greek Orthodox or eastern Rite Mass and fulfill their Sunday Mass duty?
Well there you go. Coming to a country near you.
My understanding is that yes, you can, if there is no Roman Catholic church available.
Perhaps NYer can correct me if I am wrong.
An Eastern Rite mass always fulfills a Sunday obligation.
A Roman Catholic can go to an Eastern Rite Catholic church as those churches are in communion with Rome. My understanding is that the the Eucharist at Greek Orthodox churches is considered a valid sacrament by the RCC, but a Roman Catholic should only participate in the Greek Orthodox liturgy if they have no access to a Catholic service (Latin or Eastern).
Is Indonesia under the Geneva Convention?
Martyrs only if they are truly innocent. The story does not get into the facts of the crime, or of the three people's role.
The service counted but we were not..NOT! to attend communion since the priests were not "blessed" to offer that sacrement.
While in the service Chaplains of all faiths said the same thing. "God watches and understands the circumstances and observes your deeds. In fact, one Catholic chaplain suggested that we might attend other services to "observe and see how the others worship"
Thanks....I am not even sure what Eastern Rite is....can't remmber even seeing one of their Churches.
I'm no expert in Lutheranism, but I am fairly certain that they do not believe in the concept of the Eucharist, which is pretty essential to receiving the Sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church.
I went to a funeral service a few years ago in a Lutheran Church and had asked my pastor if it mattered one way or the other if I took communion. I was told not to.
Greek Orthodox believe in the teaching of transubstantiation - that the bread and wine become the body and blood of our Lord.
Still, I got lots of great friends in the Lutheran and Greek denominations - I like to stress the things that we share in common, not the things which divide us,...and I would never ask them to compromise their faith on my account.
I always remembered this particular quote from Flannery O'Connor regarding the treatment of the Eucharist as a "symbol" - I guess not so ecumenical, but still very compelling, which is why I remember it:
"Well, toward morning the conversation turned on the Eucharist, which I, being the Catholic, was obviously supposed to defend. Mrs. Broadwater said when she was a child and received the host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the most portable person of the Trinity; now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one. I then said, in a very shaky voice, Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it."
Eastern Rite is Greek Orthodox it is referred to as "rite" because the ritual of their liturgy is different. I'm not certain what the Catholic version of this is. i could look it up, bit I'm going to take a stab at Western Rite - we are in the western portion of what used to be called Christendom.
We have Latin Rite churches in our area, but these are different from the standard Catholic liturgy in that the Mass is said in Latin in a Latin Rite Church.
I'm way of the thread here. Prayers should be offered for these poor souls. It's a disgrace that they were not allowed to the Sacrament one last time.
The problem faced is the reception of the Eucharist. As the Mass is two fold, Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist, anyone can participate in the Liturgy but receing is the problem. In extreme cases and this is, the local Bishop should give approval.
Closed communion is the practice of restricting the serving of the elements of communion (also called Eucharist, The Lord's Supper) to those who are members of a particular church, denomination, sect, or congregation.
Though the meaning of the term varies slightly in different Christian theological traditions, it generally means a church or denomination limits participation either to members of their own church, members of their own denomination, or members of some specific class (e.g., baptized members of evangelical churches). See also intercommunion.
A closed-communion Church is one that (perhaps with exceptions in unusual circumstances) excludes non-members from receiving communion.
The Roman Catholic Church (including all its component particular Churches, whether of Latin or Eastern Rite) practises closed communion. Christians that do not share its theology of the Eucharist (such as those who follow Protestant teaching on the matter) are absolutely excluded. Those who do personally share Catholic belief in the Eucharist are permitted to receive the sacrament in accordance with norms established by the episcopal conference and on condition that "the person be unable to have recourse for the sacrament to a minister of his or her own Church or ecclesial Community, ask for the sacrament of his or her own initiative manifest Catholic faith in the sacrament and be properly disposed" (Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, 131).
In the case of members of the Eastern Churches, which have the same belief in the Eucharist, the conditions are only that they "ask for the sacrament of their own free will and are properly disposed", but the Directory warns in the same context (125) that "due consideration should be given to the discipline of the Eastern Churches for their own faithful and any suggestion of proselytism should be avoided."
The Eastern Orthodox Church, comprising 14 or 15 autocephalous Orthodox hierarchical churches, is another closed-communion church. Thus, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church attending the Divine Liturgy in a Greek Orthodox Church will be allowed to receive communion and vice versa, but a Protestant or a Roman Catholic attending a Greek Orthodox liturgy will be excluded from communion. In either case, non-Christians are also excluded.
Read the Canons of the Church on the subject:
http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/
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