All Men Are Endowed

By Their Creator...
I felt a lingering sadness over the hanging of Saddam Hussein at the end of last year. It is not difficult to understand the sentence, and it was based on only a fraction of the actions he committed against humanity. The Wall Street Journal put forth a reasoned argument for execution and others rightfully pointed out that any nation responsible for his detention would become a target of terrorism. Ultimately the people of Iraq through their justice system decided his fate, and allows us all to rest easier that justice was done. Common practice dictates that those who violate the rights of others have their own rights taken away.
The Popes opposition to the execution recognizes a higher reality, that our founding fathers themselves submitted to, that human rights are given by God to all men and are inalienable. If we truly practice our belief in God can we ever justify the killing of others? The taking of an other's life is in a sense to claim an authority equal to that of God and carries an immense responsibility. It demands that those who were victimized accept the sentence as recompense for the violations against them and permit the loved ones of the accused to grieve. It demands that the loved ones of the accused accept that grave sins had been committed and not hold a grievance against others for the execution. Saddam's letter stated a realization that goodness exists on the side of his enemy. It is this ability to see beyond the man-made barriers we build between ourselves that enables us to recognize the inherent equality bestowed upon all men by God as our founding fathers did.
Islam had another chance to show its merits before the world, if not by showing clemency for Saddam, then by carrying out the execution with dignity followed by an appropriate response by all. The ensuing illicit execution video was not only a poor reflection on Islam in the Middle East but on all those who took delight in its images. The timely investigation and arrests of the perpetrators spoke well of Iraq's fledgling democracy.