I’ve had a few people ask me to comment on Osama bin Laden’s recent death. I hadn’t really thought much of it as a moral issue. He was the head of a terrorist group that openly declared war against the United States, so his enemy came to get him. May God have mercy on his soul.
I do believe the celebrations over his death may have been uncalled for and the activities of the United States in Pakistan without the knowledge of the Pakistani government raise many questions regarding national sovereignty.
Here is a brief statement issued by the Vatican regarding bin Laden’s death:
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican said the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, a man who sowed division and hatred and who caused “innumerable” deaths, should prompt serious reflection about one’s responsibility before God.
A Christian “never rejoices” in the face of a man’s death, the Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said in a brief statement this morning. Here is an English translation of his statement:
Osama bin Laden, as we all know, bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions for this purpose.
In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred.
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