Who can forgive?

Stephen Hough

Stephen Hough is a concert pianist by night, but his daytime interests include theology, art, hats, puddings ... and writing about them. (www.stephenhough.com)

I watched the BBC programme Newsnight on Thursday last week and heard the Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill’s statement and subsequent interview with Gavin Esler. Something struck me instantly which I’ve not yet read in any of the other reports flooding the media at this difficult time: the profound Christian overtones of MacAskill’s words - “compassion … compunction … mercy”. I think what he did was a mistake, but perhaps for different reasons than some other commentators. The problem here is that, theologically speaking, we can only forgive someone who offends (sins against) us. “Forgive yourenemies” … not your neighbour’s enemies: “If someone asks for yourcoat give them your tunic as well” … but not Mr Jones’s tunic.

‘Justice’, in practical legal terms, is in the hands of the courts, and I am amazed that one man could make such a sweeping decision to hold or release someone like this; but ‘mercy’ (in MacAskill’s terminology) can only come from God. I dearly hope for unlimited mercy for all people from God, but I think it was misguided and inappropriate for the Justice Secretary to take on that task himself on behalf of those who were so deeply affected personally by that Pan Am plane’s plunge to the ground in 1988.

As far as I know, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi has not admitted his guilt, but, if he did and if he showed remorse, his appropriate response would surely be to volunteer to stay in prison for the last few months of his life as an act of reparation to the victims of that act of terrorism. That would be compassion worthy of the term.