Confronting Evil

On Jan 28, 2008 12:33 PM, banico albert wrote:

Dear Atty,

Allow me start from your own words:

Pardon per se is not wrong.

In fact, I believe in it as a necessary in restorative justice. But when there is a victim who has not been restituted to his or herloss,the granting of pardon without the victim's knowledge or consent could erodethe people's trust and reliance in the judicial system. We cannot afford the specter of a people taking the law into their own hands all because theycannot trust the system in delivering justice.

There has to be guidelines which must be applied with uniformity to all who would be pardoned, allowing only a reasonable window for executive discretion.

I believe in justice.

There is a saying that there is no genuine peace or reconciliation without justice. I think you are correct in saying that there should be guidelines to all who would be pardoned. I guess thre is a legislative if not a constitutional need for this.

However, the problem of forgiveness and delivering justice in this country is that it is a paradox.

Perhaps, in more serious sense, it is very hypocrite in nature. Criminals often are determined by how power is related between those perceived victims and the accused. This is the same with the one that we discuss before on the case of smith and nicole and feminism, remember in 2006? On the brighter side, the act of forgiveness in biblical term is very broad.

For me, forgiveness must be given to those who really experienced a change of heart, one who already suffer and willing to correct their ways. In fact Jesus or even Paul in the New testament encouraged the idea that God forgives and that our God of love pardons absolutely if we receive him in our heart. Yet, it is easy to say that an accused change her heart after realizing his crimes or all of her mistakes.

That is the beauty of pardoning despite of its uglyside. We pardon from the eyes of God and not from the premises of the human opinion. Our judgement is determined by our willingness to be open to the other side.

I believe in justice. But we are not God. I believe in humility but I also believe that everyone should have the courage to forgive even if it is very difficult. If we believe in God, in life and in justice, we must also develop the courage to forgive.

I am not a priest nor a moralist, but i think we must consider that every perceived victims and offenders alike are struggling to be good. We cannot confront evil by an act of another evil or becoming an Incarnated evil...

I think this a point of reflection and an act humility that a guideline you are talking about must be consider.

albert

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On Jan 28, 2008 12:33 PM, banico albert wrote:

Dear Albert:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate our exchange of ideas.

Linda Jimeno, manila standard