August 30, 2009:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim PASTOR

“The Hard Work of Compassion”

            I have been having a great personal struggle as to how I should respond to the release of the Lockerbie bomber by Scottish authorities on compassionate grounds because he is terminally ill with prostate cancer and likely has only a few months to live.

            This decision has raised a perfect storm of protest from those who believe the ends of justice were not served.  Why should Abdel Baset Ali Megrahi, the convicted bomber of Pan Am flight 103 who killed 270 people, be allowed to go home to a hero’s welcome in Libya, which itself admitted complicity in the bombing?  None of the victims were able to go home.  I can understand the anger of many of the victim’s families.

            There is also a dark suspicion that this action was prompted, at least in part, by the desire of Scotland and Great Britain to curry favor with Libya to ensure a steady flow of Libyan oil and gas.  The lack of a strong response from the United States and other Western European nations may reflect the desire to placate Libya and other Muslim nations in the Middle East.

            All this is probably true.  Few if any political actions are ever without self-interest.  Still, the words of the Scottish Justice Minister are also true:  “Compassion and mercy are about upholding the beliefs that we seek to live by, remaining true to our values as a people.  No matter the severity of the provocation or the atrocity perpetrated.”

            I think the Minister got it just right.  We do the right thing not because someone deserves it but because of who we are.  We simply can’t descend to the level of those who do awful things by doing awful things ourselves.  We are trying to make a witness to what we believe is good and true and decent.  When we find the courage to act that way  -  in spite of our hurt and anger  -  it may help to build a better world.

Love, 

Pastor Dave