Bishops condemn sentence

Iraq: The Irish Catholic bishops have condemned the death sentence passed on Saddam Hussein. In a statement, the chairman of the bishops' Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs, Bishop Raymond Field, said the sentence on Saddam and some of his colleagues was "contrary to the common good".

"It is clear from the public response to the tribunal's verdict that its decision has further polarised Shia and Sunni Iraqis," he said.

Bishop Field said he fully endorsed a statement made by the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Renato Martino, who said on Monday on Vatican Radio that "you cannot punish the crime with another crime, because the death sentence is a crime".