Muammar Gaddafi marked the end of a “harsh and oppressive regime”

The least undesirable of possible futures for Gaddafi

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Sic transit Gloria Mundi; the gruesome death of the Muammar Gaddafi, the self styled “King of Kings”, is a dramatic demonstation that cruelty breeds cruelty. There is an ever present danger of becoming, in victory, the very thing we are seek to subdue; evil dies and rises again. It has left many people thinking “Even a man like Gaddafi didn’t deserve to die in the way that he did”.

There were five possibilities for Gadaffi’s future, says William Oddie

The least desirable of all was for him to disappear into the desert, to become the anti-hero of a national myth;
Trial in Libya;
A trial in the Hague;
A courageous death in battle;
What actually happened: the ignominious death of a coward in flight, summarily executed by his captors.

“Of all these possibilities,” says Oddie “it seems to me that what actually happened was the least undesirable.”… “His end was barbaric and uncivilised; all the same, repugnant in every way though his death was, it was better than any of the other options. There are situations in which there is no desirable option: and this was one.” Read Oddie’s reasons for saying this.

Commenting on President Obama’s speech in his Eureka St blog Michael Mullins writes, “The sombre tone was appropriate, as was his implicit distinction between the Gaddafi regime and Gaddafi the man. The regime was odious, while the man undoubtedly suffered from some form of mental illness that had unspeakably tragic consequences for the people of Libya.”

“He was human and deserved a degree of compassion…” he said.

Fr. Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, pointed out the price of human suffering that accompanies the collapse of the regimes that have no respect for human dignity.

In its statement the Vatican expressed hope that the bloodshed would end in the North African country, and that the new Libyan government would open a rebuilding phase based on “a spirit of inclusion” and social justice.

The statement was issued by the Vatican press office several hours after Gaddafi was reported killed in his home town of Sirte.

The statement said the Vatican considers the transitional government as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. The Vatican, it said, has already had various contacts with the new authorities in Libya, through the Libyan Embassy to the Vatican, at the United Nations and in Libya.

It said the apostolic nuncio to Libya, who resides in Malta, had gone to Libya for talks in early October with the provisional prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, and other officials.

“In these diverse encounters, both sides underlined the importance of the diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Libya. The Holy See had the opportunity to renew its support for the Libyan people and its support for the transition,” the Vatican said.

The officials of Libya’s new government have expressed appreciation for the humanitarian appeals of Pope Benedict XVI and for the Church’s service in Libya, in particular the work of 13 religious communities in hospitals or assistance centres.

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