Saddam Hussein Executed

"SADDAM HUSSEIN EXECUTED" is pasted on every news source imaginable right now. With what emotion do we respond to this?
There are certain events that test one's ethics as dictated by the Church. Of course you have the obvious examples of finding twenty dollars and deciding what to do with it, or making sure to avoid dishonesty. However, what about other situations that don't depend on your actions but on your opinion? Last year the many members of the faithful found themselves questioning the issue of Terri Schiavo, wondering about the implication of being pro-life in such a case.
Now we find ourselves being faced with the case of Saddam Hussein's execution. It is an integral part of our Catholic faith to show respect for the dignity of the human person which includes respect for life. To truly be pro-life, not as society defines the word but as the Church does, the death penalty must be viewed as a last resort in keeping a population safe. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says the following:

(CCC 2267) Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.

Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically non-existent."

Let us then examine the case of Saddam Hussein. Was his execution necessary to protect people's safety? Would another punishment have been equally as effective while still respecting the life of one of God's creatures? If you find yourself torn in answering these questions, I am sure you are not alone. So how is it that we can possibly respect the dignity of the human person even though that person did not respect the dignity of others? Grace. If we ask for it, we are given the grace to form an ethically and morally upright opinion on the matter at hand. In doing so, I pray that those who find it within themselves to do so, pray for the soul of Saddam Hussein and those that played a hand in his execution and to trust in God's loving mercy.