I woke this morning to the news that Osama bin Laden is dead: killed in a fire fight in Pakistan, when US troops stormed the mansion where he was holed up with his closest friends and one or two members of his family. The rhetoric from around the world, including our own Prime Minister, was of justice having been served on the man who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in New York almost a decade ago, and who has masterminded God-only-knows how many more Al Qaeda attrocities since. I confess I was quite relieved when I heard the news, maybe even glad he is dead. Though I have not lived in fear of bin Laden, nor been put off travelling for fear of bombs, I have (as I imagine most people have) bought into the natural unrest that accompanies national events like the Royal Wedding and the ongoing thoughts that something like 9/11 or 7/7 may happen again. More than that I have prayed for and tried to empathise with those who suffered loss because of bin Laden, and I have ...
Priest. Teacher. Theologian.