Cardinal Says U.S. Treated Saddam 'Like a Cow'
 

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A top Vatican official said Tuesday he felt pity and compassion for Saddam Hussein and criticized the U.S. military for showing video footage of him being treated "like a cow."

Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Justice and Peace department and a former papal envoy to the United Nations, told a news conference it would be "illusory" to think the arrest of the former Iraqi president would heal all the damage caused by a war which the Holy See opposed.

"I felt pity to see this man destroyed, (the military) looking at his teeth as if he were a cow. They could have spared us these pictures," he said.

"Seeing him like this, a man in his tragedy, despite all the heavy blame he bears, I had a sense of compassion for him," he said in answer to questions about Saddam's arrest.

Martino was referring to the videotape released by the U.S. military which showed a grubby, bearded and disheveled Saddam receiving a medical examination by a military doctor after his capture in an underground hole Saturday.

Martino was one of the Vatican officials most strongly opposed to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

"It's true that we should be happy that this (arrest) has come about because it is the watershed that was necessary... we hope that this will not have worse and other serious consequences," Martino said.

"But it is not the total solution to the problems of the Middle East," he said.

Martino said the Vatican hoped the arrest of Saddam "can contribute to promoting peace and the democratization of Iraq."

He added: "But is seems to me to be illusory to hope that this will repair the dramas and the damage of the defeat for humanity that a war always brings about."

The Vatican did not consider the war in Iraq "a just war" because it was not backed by the United Nations and because the Vatican believed more negotiations were necessary to avoid it.

Martino said the Vatican wanted an "appropriate institution" to put Saddam on trial but he did not elaborate.

U.S. forces were keeping the ousted 66-year-old dictator at a secret location for interrogation before he is put on trial in the months ahead. He could face the death penalty.

The news conference was called for Martino to present the World Day of Peace message, in which Pope John Paul took a swipe at the United States for invading Iraq without the backing of the United Nations.


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uh, wtf? I see Saddam getting MEDICAL treatment. How is that being treated like a COW?? :rolleyes:

Maybe he didn't think it should be televised and they should have shown him after the check up. Who knows.

I have to admit that I got really tired of seeing that same videotape over and over again. Obviously, it was the only tape the Army supplied early on.

As for treating him like a cow, that's a Mooooot point.

I thought he was treated more like a monkey. They were picking at his hair like monkeys pick and eat bugs off each other. haha

Lol thats what I was thinking.

Okay, can I say that when I first saw it, I thought it was a documentary on the homeless population in NYC? He looked like an old bum!

I didn't see anything wrong with the footage. I did, however, see the footage of the meeting where he forced his political opponents to admit to treason, and they were taken outside and shot. Very eery.

What would the Vatican City know about cows? Seriously - the military was giving him a medical examination and checking for lice...now if that describes how cows are treated then we're all treated like cows :rolleyes:

<sigh>

sometimes the Vatican makes it damn hard to be Catholic.

Although, i will agree with their stance that he should not be executed. I say we make the bastard live in a 4' x 4' box for the rest of his days, endlessely piping in the Barney "I Love You" song and anything BlueGrass till he cracks and spills all his secrets.

Kitso
KS 361

I think that the tape shows a different side. Not that the military was hurting them but treating him fairly as the Genvia Conv. says. Part of that is a medical exam, its not like they showed him (Saddam Hussien) getting his prostate checked.


I don't know, maybe in Europe there is soemthing unnataural about taking care of ones teeth.

Does the papacy have anything better to do? I mean, there is dieing children in Africa. What about HIV, no we have to hear about polotics.


Sometime I get so irratated from my own religion.


Christia

I think that the Vatican should show more compassion for the victims of sexual predators who are priests, than that which they have for genocidal tyrants.

Well I guess I am alone here in saying that I was glad this article was printed. When I kept seeing that same footage over and over I felt a sense of pity for him. I just don't think it was necessary to show that same damn video over and over, it's like kicking someone when they're down. In my opinion that doesn't make us as a country look very good either, but HEY we're all entitled to our opinion. I am told frequently that I care TOO much about people, so maybe this is why I feel like this. Either way, don't flame me guys, please. :D

If Saddam Hussein was as compassionate as you are, over 1 million people, who are now dead, would be alive, and it is those people, and not Saddam, who are worthy of your compassion.

You guys, the media had only that footage to show. It's like September 11th...for a few days afterwards it was the same footage over and over (though this is different). It's history-making news and any smart television station is going to replay that over and over to keep up with the rest of them.

Ditto Kiki.

I think the media is showing this clip over and over to dehumanize the guy and make us view him as an animal. But I think that in some cases it's actually going to backfire and make some people feel sorry for him.

The thing many (most?) people don't realize about Catholic leadership is that forgiveness, reconciliation, and loving one's enemy (You know, that little thing Jesus said specifically in the Bible?) is first and foremost in their policy, as well as never giving up hope that even the worst sinner can someday repent if given the chance. Revenge has no place in this thinking. Most people on this board (forget it--most PEOPLE, period) don't get that.

This is a stumbling block for me--I'm into retaliation esp for people like SH and beating the repentance out of them. So I've got a ways to go on this line of thought.

Adrienne