The Vatican on Tuesday (Oct. 26) called for former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz to be spared the death penalty, and suggested it might intervene diplomatically on his behalf.

“The position of the Catholic Church on the death penalty is known,” said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office. “It is therefore truly hoped that the sentence against Tariq Aziz will not be carried out, precisely in order to favor reconciliation and the reconstruction of peace and justice in Iraq after the great sufferings undergone there.

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1. Ad Orientem wrote: I was not aware that the old man had been tried and condemned.  As such, I don’t know the particulars but I always thought his position in Saddam’s regime (mostly foreign affairs) would not have involved him in the blood thirsty domestic atrocities. October 29, 3:12 pm | [comment link]

2. TridentineVirginian wrote: That is my understanding too, #1. IIRC, he is also a Christian apostate from an important Christian family in Iraq; he converted to Islam in order to maintain his important post in Saddam’s government when Saddam discovered religion (around the time of the 1st Gulf War). October 29, 3:44 pm | [comment link]

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