Priest, Religious sisters against death penalty for gas station bomber

GUYANA

Venezuelan national, Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodomo confessed to bombing a Mobil gas station on October 26, which killed six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injured several of her relatives. Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond on October 28 confirmed that the government will be pursuing the death penalty in the case.

Diocesan priest Fr Carl Philadelphia and The Sisters of Mercy issued the following joint press statement October 29, titled ‘God’s Justice is better than the Death Penalty’:

“Our parishes and nation are united in grief over the tragic bombing at the Mobil Gas Station on Regent Street, which claimed the innocent life of a six-year-old child. This act of terror has wounded our community deeply. We pray for the child’s family, and all affected by this senseless violence.

In moments like this, when pain and anger run deep, our hearts cry out for justice. Yet, as followers of Christ, we must remember that true justice reflects the mercy and love of God, not the desire for revenge.

The Catholic Church teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible in all circumstances, even in cases of terrorism, because it denies the God-given dignity that remains in every human life. No crime, however grave, can erase the image of God imprinted on the human soul.

We therefore call upon the authorities to seek justice through means that protect society and uphold the sanctity of life. Life imprisonment and other non-lethal measures can achieve justice without repeating the cycle of death. Let us stand firm in faith, trusting that God’s justice is better than the death penalty—for His justice restores, heals, and opens even the hardest hearts to repentance. In this dark hour, may His light guide our nation toward peace, mercy, and hope.”