The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Where are ...............?

    By Flavius on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 11:10pm |

    In today's Guardian a letter appeared about  the death sentence passed upon Tariq Aziz :Excerpts:

    We do not question the guilt of Mr Aziz in respect of the crimes for which he has been convicted. ......................

    Our appeal is on a humanitarian basis. Nothing will be served by his execution. He has largely been forgotten ......... since giving himself up to the coalition forces..

    The indiscriminate use of the death penalty during Saddam's regime was widely condemned in the west. To support such action now would be a failure of moral courage..............................................................

    Rt Rev Peter B Price Bishop of Bath and Wells, Rt Rev Colin Bennets Bishop of Coventry 1998-2008, Major General Tim Cross (Retired)

    ....................................................................................

    Where are the protests from our bishops? And us.

    Comments

    Incorporated above


    by Flavius on Thu, 10/28/2010 - 1:58pm

    Flav, I found the link for the full letter you quote at the Guardian:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/28/west-must-oppose-tariq-aziz-...

    Seems to me their clemency appeal is a classic one as to a death penalty--that they knew the condemned personally and they feel that he has redeeming qualities that they are offering for consideration in lessening the sentence. But I don't know if the same should be expected from other religious figures if they didn't know him, unless they are also in agreement with their general anti-death penality argument as well. For one example, since the Catholic church is anti-death penalty, I would expect them to argue against his sentence--no surprise then that on a google search, I found that they have already made a statement doing just that:

    http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/10/27/Vatican-opposes-Aziz-execution...

    But honestly I really wouldn't expect those religious or political figures who are not anti-death penalty to interfere here--generally wouldn't that would be saying: we know better than you Iraqis do who should get this penality and who shouldn't?

    Personally I don't think the death penalty is wise for any civilization that aspires to full functionality in dealing with criminal acts, but I know that reality is that there are also plenty of people who disagree with me.


    by artappraiser on Thu, 10/28/2010 - 2:49pm

    Thanks for the information. As a former Catholic I'd expect the Church to take the "pro life" position and I'm glad it did.

    Having absorbed in high school logic that " You can not debate first principles" I realize the morality of the death penalty is unarguable.

    Nevertheless I'm struck by the paucity of objection here compared to other (Western) Countries. American exceptionalism strikes again!

     

     


    by Flavius on Thu, 10/28/2010 - 5:36pm

    The Catholic church objects to the death penalty, but they defer to the rule of law.

    The Catholic Church and the Death Penalty

    “Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.”

    (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, 2004 A.D., letter to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, #3 )

     


    by Donal on Thu, 10/28/2010 - 7:31pm

    Thanks , I spoke too broadly. To the extent that I was ever  well informed about the Church's position, it was so long ago that my memory is unreliable-and the Church might have redefined it.

     

    Or , better : I was wrong. Again.

     


    by Flavius on Thu, 10/28/2010 - 9:54pm