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At the execution of Saddam Hussein, the World Council of Churches' General Secretary issued a statement asking God to grant the nation of Iraq "the mercy, justice and compassion that it has long been denied" and "an end to fear and death that marked Saddam Hussein's rule and that continue now".
"We pray that those who hold power in Iraq now and in the future will create a new heritage of government for its people," said the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia. "May Iraq's leaders pursue reconciliation and mutual respect among all its communities."
While holding a leader responsible for his crimes is significant, Kobia said, "each taking of a person's life is a part of a larger tragedy and nowhere is this more apparent than in a land of daily killings". The WCC is opposed to the death penalty.
