Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VATICAN233
2006-11-08 08:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:
VATICAN OFFICIAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST HUSSEIN VERDICT
how-toVZCZCXRO2887 RR RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHFL RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHSR DE RUEHROV #0233 3120857 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 080857Z NOV 06 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0547 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0575
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000233
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREAJ AND DUGGANJ
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/8/2016
TAGS: SOCI KIRF PGOV PHUM VT IZ
SUBJECT: VATICAN OFFICIAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST HUSSEIN VERDICT
REF: A. 03 VATICAN 1505
B. 03 VATICAN 4859
C. 03 VATICAN 5666
D. 05 VATICAN 514
CLASSIFIED BY: Peter G. Martin, Political Officer, Embassy
Vatican, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000233
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREAJ AND DUGGANJ
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/8/2016
TAGS: SOCI KIRF PGOV PHUM VT IZ
SUBJECT: VATICAN OFFICIAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST HUSSEIN VERDICT
REF: A. 03 VATICAN 1505
B. 03 VATICAN 4859
C. 03 VATICAN 5666
D. 05 VATICAN 514
CLASSIFIED BY: Peter G. Martin, Political Officer, Embassy
Vatican, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (U) Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, criticized the recent death
sentence issued to Saddam Hussein in an interview with Italy's
leading newspaper, center-right Corriere della Sera November 6.
Martino stated that "punishing one crime with another crime was
tantamount to giving in to the logic of an eye for an eye."
The cardinal criticized Iraq as "one of the few countries that
has not yet made the civilized choice of abolishing the death
penalty." He went on to compare Hussein's trial to the
Nuremburg trials, stating that a "trial that requires
impartiality cannot be entrusted to the victors." [Note: We had
not heard criticism of the Nuremburg trials from Martino
before.] He said Saddam should have been tried by an
international tribunal that did not include the death penalty as
a penal option. Martino appealed to the memory of Pope John
Paul II, who he said had established that the death penalty was
unacceptable when there was any other option available to
prevent someone from doing further harm to society. In
Martino's opinion, a life sentence for Hussein would have been
preferable.
2. (C) Comment: The outspoken Martino is always eager for the
spotlight and has been highly critical of the U.S. on Iraq for
several years (reftels). At at least one point early in the
Iraq conflict, he got the message from those close to John Paul
II to tone down his freelancing. In this case, while there are
certainly some within the Vatican who do not oppose the death
penalty for Saddam, Martino's opinions reflect the general
sentiment of the Vatican Curia -- as a rule, predisposed against
the death penalty. Post will continue to present the verdict
and the accomplishments of the Iraqi High Tribunal to our
contacts as a concrete example of Iraq's progress toward a more
stable and peaceful democratic society that embraces the rule of
law.
ROONEY
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREAJ AND DUGGANJ
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/8/2016
TAGS: SOCI KIRF PGOV PHUM VT IZ
SUBJECT: VATICAN OFFICIAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST HUSSEIN VERDICT
REF: A. 03 VATICAN 1505
B. 03 VATICAN 4859
C. 03 VATICAN 5666
D. 05 VATICAN 514
CLASSIFIED BY: Peter G. Martin, Political Officer, Embassy
Vatican, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (U) Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, criticized the recent death
sentence issued to Saddam Hussein in an interview with Italy's
leading newspaper, center-right Corriere della Sera November 6.
Martino stated that "punishing one crime with another crime was
tantamount to giving in to the logic of an eye for an eye."
The cardinal criticized Iraq as "one of the few countries that
has not yet made the civilized choice of abolishing the death
penalty." He went on to compare Hussein's trial to the
Nuremburg trials, stating that a "trial that requires
impartiality cannot be entrusted to the victors." [Note: We had
not heard criticism of the Nuremburg trials from Martino
before.] He said Saddam should have been tried by an
international tribunal that did not include the death penalty as
a penal option. Martino appealed to the memory of Pope John
Paul II, who he said had established that the death penalty was
unacceptable when there was any other option available to
prevent someone from doing further harm to society. In
Martino's opinion, a life sentence for Hussein would have been
preferable.
2. (C) Comment: The outspoken Martino is always eager for the
spotlight and has been highly critical of the U.S. on Iraq for
several years (reftels). At at least one point early in the
Iraq conflict, he got the message from those close to John Paul
II to tone down his freelancing. In this case, while there are
certainly some within the Vatican who do not oppose the death
penalty for Saddam, Martino's opinions reflect the general
sentiment of the Vatican Curia -- as a rule, predisposed against
the death penalty. Post will continue to present the verdict
and the accomplishments of the Iraqi High Tribunal to our
contacts as a concrete example of Iraq's progress toward a more
stable and peaceful democratic society that embraces the rule of
law.
ROONEY