Within a matter of days if not hours Saddam Hussein will meet his maker. For his soul, as for any other, I will pray that God can show him the mercy he never showed to his own people. (There is one good Catholic I know who every November asks the monks of Q to pray for the soul of Adolf Hitler. I thank him for that because I doubt I could do that which my faith teaches me I should.)
Do I wish though to see Saddam Hussein executed by hanging? Despite not being opposed to capital punishment, I fear his death is wrong in principle and dangerous in practice. There is clear evidence that he did not receive a fair and full trial and that matters despite his obviously over-whelming guilt as a man who brought death to many innocents. If Iraq is to have a future - and God knows that is far from assured - then true justice must be a foundation stone.
But setting aside all principle - which I know I shouldn't - my concern now is the impact and effect of his death on the people of Iraq. Is it likely that one more person will die as a result of this execution? Most certainly and very possibly hundreds if not more. The Sunnis will have their martyr and the Shias will not hold back in retaliation for more slaughter of their people.
Maybe the country is too far gone in the misery of schism and hatred for Saddam Hussein's death to make much difference. One can only hope for that, but what hope is that? That things are so bad they cannot get any worse?
What have we done and what are we doing? Kyrie eleison - Lord have mercy - on us all.
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