Posted on 12/30/2006 12:24:39 PM PST by indcons
They better focus on how much better the life would be were saddam aborted about 70 years ago.
The execution was tragic . . . . . . . . that it didn't happen decades earlier.
That being said, the execution of Saddam Hussein was legally right.
taking a life as punishment for a crime is pretty clearly not something that would make into the Big Book of WWJD.
With respect, Holy See, sometimes Man is entirely justified in expediting the onset of God's Justice. This was such a time.
Perhaps, if the Vatican would stop changing its own doctrine, I might care what they say. Would the people now condemning the hanging have preferred the old Catholic burning at the stake, as opposed to the hanging?
The judge does not bears a sword in vain...
The Bible gives governments the authority for capital punishment.
Correct. The Church must protest the death penalty. Failure to do so would be seen as implicit approval.
Executions are allowed if truly necessary, however the protest must be raised.
Temporal justice has been carried out. It is out of our hands now.
The Vatican usually does not take political positions, particularly in the case of Muslim majority countries. However, I would suspect that what we are hearing from now is the "Cardinal Martino" wing of the Church - Martino was at the UN for many years - since Catholic doctrine does not forbid the death penalty. The Post-VatII doctrine simply says that it should be applied only when there is no other way to keep a dangerous person from killing others. And this was clearly the case with Saddam, who, had he lived, would have become a rallying point for his followers and would probably have ended up in charge of Iraq again.
Ruh-roh that's gonna leave a mark.
In this case, the Sunnis could regain power and release him, and even put him back in charge of the country.
The best argument I ever read was also along these lines, from Ann Coulter: Even if the murderers would, under Republicans and other sensible people, otherwise get a life sentence with no chance of parole, it's better to execute them just in case the Democrats somehow get in control and release them.
Bingo! Your post is right on it.
Romans, 13:4
What?
I wish the Vatican were as sympathetic to the victims of Saddam's torture and purges. Don't recall a SINGLE statement from the Vatican that ever condemned Saddam's death penalties.
Seems to me that somewhere in the OT it says that exection is ok ... about how if you murder by man so will you also be killed (in the 10 Commandments the word 'kill' should be translated as 'murder" - malice) ...maybe the Holy Father should re-read it ....
This is an easy way for the Vatican to suck up to the Islamofacists. It doesn't cost them anything, and it certainly doesn't help Saddam. The fact that it's a groveling piece of lick-spittle dishonesty, well, the Vatican has learned many "diplomatic tricks" in its long and often dishonorable history.
The problem, I think lies with the rending of the garment, so to speak, no pardons. There are faux Roman Catholics among the flock who pretend to speak for the Vatican, but don't. I don't really wish for the church and state to be as one, as my ancestors fought it tooth and nail in England long ago. ;>
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