Misplaced compassion

During the evening of  Wednesday 21^st December 1988 I was wrapping Christmas presents.  I lived in Kinross at the time, a small market town.  It was my first year as a trainee solicitor.  I was living in cute cottage that belonged to my boss.  Outside was wintery, but inside was warm and snug.  I was listening to the radio, a Radio 4 discussion of some sort.

And then there was an interruption.  News of a plane crash over the border town of Locherbie. 

The next day was our office Christmas dinner.  As we were driven in the minibus to our restaurant the talk was of the crash and the seeming randomness of it.  If an obscure town like Locherbie could be hit, so could Kinross. 

And then the news came that it hadn’t been an accidental crash but a deliberate bombing.  For over 10 years the hunt for the Locherbie bombers appeared and then disappeared from our minds until January 2001 when there was finally a conviction.  The trial, of course, was not straight-forward.  I knew a prison guard who was stationed at Camp Zeist for a while.  It was all rather surreal.  Even after the conviction there was the appeal.  Locherbie just wouldn’t go away.

Now Megrahi has been released, on compassionate grounds.  I must admit that initially I thought releasing him on these grounds was the right thing to do.  The Church of Scotland has taken this position.  But on further, deeper reflection I’m not so sure it is right.

It seems to me that the role of the individual and the role of the State have been confused.  As a Christian I believe that I am called to forgive those who have harmed me.  The State, however, has as different role.  The duty of the state is to ensure that those who threaten and disrupt the lives of others and of society are punished in a way which is proportionate to their crime. The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 13 states that the secular governing authorities have been “established by God” and that the “one in authority” is “an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer”. What I believe has happened in this current situation is that what should belong only to the subjective realm of personal responsibility is being inappropriately brought to bear on the objective judicial responsibility of the state.

Kenny MacAskill, our Justice Minister, acknowledged the pain of the loved ones of the victims.  Does he not see the importance for them of receiving justice and that for most of them the release of Megrahi is only going to increase their pain? Has compassion for Megrahi been considered more important than compassion for the victims loved ones? Certainly those who believe in Megrahis innocence will not be adversely affected by his release but what about those who do not?  Inasmuch as it is appropriate for compassion to be exercised by the justice system should compassion for the victims families not demand that whatever help otherwise Megrahi is given to cope with his illness he serve his full sentence or as much of it as his life span will allow?

I do believe in compassion.  Megrahi was shown a great deal of compassion by the Scottish people.  He was held in very comfortable conditions.  His family lived nearby and were able to visit him.  Compassion did not demand releasing him to return to a hero’s welcome in Libya. 

[I’m grateful to Rev.Dr. Cameron Macpherson for helping me think through this difficult issue biblically].