Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Killing Tarek Aziz will not help Iraq

Tarek Aziz may be guilty of being complicit in acts of genocide perpetrated by Sadam Hussein and in his suppression of religious political parties but I was deeply unhappy to learn that he has been sentenced to death. Now the Vatican has also issued a statement saying that his death will not help the process of peace and reconciliation in Iraq.

While American troops were on Baghdad's doorstep Aziz continued to maintain that Iraqi troops were defeating them when they were already hopelessly defeated. He seemed mildly pitiable. Let him serve a just sentence for crimes committed. He may even deserve to be executed. But I pray that this won't happen.

The Vatican statement reads:
The Catholic Church's position on the death penalty is well known. It is hoped, therefore, that the sentence against Tariq Aziz will not be implemented, precisely in order to favour reconciliation and the reconstruction of peace and justice in Iraq after the great sufferings the country has experienced. As concerns the possibility of a humanitarian intervention, the Holy See is not accustomed to operate publicly but through the diplomatic channels at its disposal.
Acknowledgements: VIS, Zenit.

4 comments:

  1. Who writes this stuff for the VAtican anyway? According to the catechism it is NOT a tenet of faith to disallow for the death penalty, so I don't know why they are squawking pretending it's an article of faith. It isn't. People who perpetrate mass genocide deserve the penalty if anyone does. For one thing, it guarantees no bleeding heart judge will let them off with a wrist slap and they for sure won't be free to do it again.

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  2. But the Vatican statement does not say that. It says that the Church's position on capital punishment is well known. It can be found in CCC 2267:

    "The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor..."

    There is of course the school of thought that this paragraph does not deal sufficiently with the question of justice. Is it possible that the death penalty could be the only just penalty for certain crimes and that to commute such a penalty would in fact be unjust? The CCC does not deal with this.

    In CCC 2266 punishment is described as having as its primary aim the redressing of the disorder introduced by the offence. It can also assume the value of expiation if willingly accepted by the guilty party. Also, as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party.

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  3. Yes, but if the Vatican admits that capital punishment isn't wrong in all cases, then why do that act as if they think it IS wrong in all cases?

    Genocide, seems to me a pretty good reason to argue that if capital punishment is not carried out, justice was not served. we're not talking about a guy who found his wife in bed with another man and in the heat of passion killed them. This is premeditated murder on a grand scale. This guy getting off with 3 hots and a cot for the rest of his life gives others so bent a good laugh that there'd always be suckers in their corner to let them off their just merits. I think the Vatican are coming off as suckers.

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  4. He's a coptic Christian, I heard.

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