Posted on 12/16/2003 5:54:51 AM PST by sitetest
Edited on 12/16/2003 7:13:44 AM PST by Lead Moderator. [history]
[LM's note: This thread is degenerating a bit into Catholic bashing and general flaming, and is in risk of being moved to the smokey backroom. Please stop. I've locked it once, and it has continued. Any more and it is gone. Thanks.]
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A top Vatican (news - web sites) official said Tuesday he felt pity and compassion for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and criticized the U.S. military for showing video footage of him being treated "like a cow."
Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Justice and Peace department and a former papal envoy to the United Nations (news - web sites), told a news conference it would be "illusory" to think the arrest of the former Iraqi president would heal all the damage caused by a war which the Holy See opposed.
"I felt pity to see this man destroyed, (the military) looking at his teeth as if he were a cow. They could have spared us these pictures," he said.
"Seeing him like this, a man in his tragedy, despite all the heavy blame he bears, I had a sense of compassion for him," he said in answer to questions about Saddam's arrest.
Martino was referring to the videotape released by the U.S. military which showed a grubby, bearded and disheveled Saddam receiving a medical examination by a military doctor after his capture in an underground hole Saturday.
Martino was one of the Vatican officials most strongly opposed to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq (news - web sites).
"It's true that we should be happy that this (arrest) has come about because it is the watershed that was necessary... we hope that this will not have worse and other serious consequences," Martino said.
"But it is not the total solution to the problems of the Middle East," he said.
Martino said the Vatican hoped the arrest of Saddam "can contribute to promoting peace and the democratization of Iraq."
He added: "But is seems to me to be illusory to hope that this will repair the dramas and the damage of the defeat for humanity that a war always brings about."
The Vatican did not consider the war in Iraq "a just war" because it was not backed by the United Nations and because the Vatican believed more negotiations were necessary to avoid it.
Martino said the Vatican wanted an "appropriate institution" to put Saddam on trial but he did not elaborate.
U.S. forces were keeping the ousted 66-year-old dictator at a secret location for interrogation before he is put on trial in the months ahead. He could face the death penalty.
The news conference was called for Martino to present the World Day of Peace message, in which Pope John Paul (news - web sites) took a swipe at the United States for invading Iraq without the backing of the United Nations.
What strikes me about the comments is that there are always some who will support the statements of church officals, no matter how ridiculous they may be.
The Holy WHAT? Last I checked, Christians didn't go around claiming to be a "holy" anything..least of all, some sort of divine being. Ugh...I am beginning to believe all the stories saying Catholics really REALLY don't know their bibles.
Sad but true. It's wise to be reluctant to go to war but foolish to avoid it at all costs. Indeed, justice demands war at times. But those who believe capital punishment is unjust will have a hard time finding a just war. They should turn to Christ for a reality check.
It was Jesus who said, "I came not to bring peace, but a sword." Liberal Christians, in the Vatican and elsewhere, can try to twist the interpretation of this as much as they wish, but fairminded interpreters of this text should note that the Greek word for "sword" in this passage is a technical term for a sword that is used only for capital punishment
Thus honest Christians must conclude that capital punishment is not only permissible but also required for true justice.
The Holy See is a "what" and a "where" not a "who" - it's a place and an institution, not a person. When the news says "The White House announced today..." you don't think there was a talking house, do you?
Or perhaps the problem is that you're "see"ing what you want to see, rather than bothering to educate yourself on what it really means.
The cardinal's statement was in no way inaccurate. The military did not have to release a video showing him being examined. That particular footage was released for propaganda reasons. The cardinal merely voiced his recognition of that fact.
However, this isn't something that can be written off as a rogue in the Vatican (at least until top Vatican officials react negatively to it). This sentiment is now to the "left" of France and Germany. It appears to be a convergence of anti-capitalist and anti-Semitic views among a significant faction within the Church hierarchy.
I'm glad you considered that angle. And sometimes the propaganda reasons are justified. Maybe it was necessary to convince sympathizers that they really did get him. Maybe it was necessary for a morale boost for America. Still there are those who don't/won't believe it. I mean it could have been his double. The government could be lying about the DNA. The timing was perfect for the polls. Hmmmmm.
I agree that from a secular, pragmatic point of view, the cardinal can be preceived as being as naive and even offensive. However, as a man devoted to serving God, he may be speaking from a perspective we are unable to understand completely.
The news conference was called for Martino to present the World Day of Peace message, in which Pope John Paul (news - web sites) took a swipe at the United States for invading Iraq without the backing of the United Nations.
If anyone thinks the Pope doesn't agree with Martino's sentiments, he's delusional.
The Pope's fascination with the UN (a body which would like to kick teh Vatican out of its General Assembly) is very Euro.
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