Vatican newspaper: Bush's remarks on Saddam's death unlikely to help

Published: 2007-01-05

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- U.S. President George W. Bush's public comments on the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein are unlikely to calm the tensions created by his execution, the Vatican newspaper said. L'Osservatore Romano said Jan. 5 that, in the wake of the circulation of images showing Saddam being taunted just before he was hanged Dec. 30, Bush reiterated his belief that Saddam's trial was fair and "limited himself to observing that, nevertheless, the final procedure could have been 'more dignified.'" Responding to reporters' questions Jan. 4, Bush said, "I wish, obviously, that the proceedings had been done in a more dignified way. But, nevertheless, he was given justice; the thousands of people he killed were not." The Vatican newspaper, in a front-page article, said Bush's remarks "are words that do not seem useful for overcoming the hatred and bitterness that is still mangling Iraq, and they certainly are not an invitation to reconciliation."

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