Death of Killer Peter Tobin – Pray For All Involved
From the BBC…
Serial killer Peter Tobin has died in hospital, at the age of 76.
He was convicted of raping and murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk, 23, and hiding her body under the floor of a Glasgow church in 2006.
He was also serving life terms at HMP Edinburgh for the murders of 15-year-old Vicky Hamilton and 18-year-old Dinah McNicol.
Police Scotland confirmed that he died at 06:04 on Saturday at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Click here to read more
Editor writes…
Now click here to read one of many reports published in the local Scottish press at the time, which reveal the lax approach within the archdiocese – the “open doors” policy to homeless and other waifs and strays, which led to the church of St Patrick’s in Glasgow becoming a murder scene.
The key people immediately involved in the scandal as it affected the Archdiocese of Glasgow – the student, Angelika Kluk, the parish priest, Fr Gerry Nugent, and the murderer, Peter Tobin – are now all gone from this world. Let us remember them in our prayers – including, perhaps especially Peter Tobin, who has today learned his eternal fate.
We might reflect on the need to pray for even the most hardened sinners – how to reconcile Christian belief in God’s infinite mercy with His equally infinite Justice. Your thoughts…
Comments (13)
This is such a beautiful topic – the mercy and justice of God when a hardened sinner dies.
I suppose the first thing we need to say is that someone like Peter Tobin seems to have died as a hardened sinner. We don’t know what happens in any soul and that is especially true of someone who has died. We can only hope that Peter Tobin truly repented of his enormous sins which were also crimes, but sins are more serious, as they can keep a soul out of heaven.
One of the reports said that Tobin had died “in agony” so he may have called out in remorse for his sins, and if genuine, he may have saved his soul.
I’m also thinking of Angelika Kluk at this point, may she rest in peace, and Father Gerry Nugent, RIP, who was highly regarded in the archdiocese of Glasgow before this happened.
It was a terrible scandal at the time. I hope lessons have been learnt by the Church.
Fidelis,
I agree – it is a beautiful topic, to think about the mercy of God, no matter what any sinner does, God is desperate to save us. It’s awesome.
Fidelis,
That’s the wonderful thing about God’s mercy – if Tobin just breathed a sign of remorse, he’d be saved. I don’t think he’d be flying to the highest place in heaven but may spend centuries in Purgatory, but he would be saved from Hell. We have to pray for that moment’s regret and contrition. We should never wish any soul in Hell.
Lily
I agree – it’s lazy theology to assume that because someone’s sins and crimes are so horrendous, and so public, that they automatically must be in Hell. That’s not how it works, thankfully.
Yes, the mercy of God is wonderful but we need to beware of abusing it – St Alphonsus preached a powerful sermon on the subject which we discussed at this link some time ago…
https://catholictruthscotland.com/2017/01/16/abuse-of-gods-mercy-an-insult-to-god/
editor,
That is a very powerful sermon. I quoted this bit which struck me as very deep:
They do not hope for the pardon of the sins of which they repent; but they hope that, though they continue to commit sin, God will have mercy upon them; and thus they make the mercy of God serve as a motive for continuing to offend Him.
That is a terrifying thought, as it rings so true. We do all rely on the mercy of God, forgetting that we cannot use it to commit sins.
A thoroughly bad business which has lost none of its consumate sordidness in the better part of two decades since its original unfolding.
I am reluctant to comment further, but I do think we should pray for all those who were involved and who have gone to their Maker.
A truly Christian response. Pray for all those involved. So far removed from the hate-filled invective which is usual, especially in the MSM, after the death of those who have committed heinous crimes while alive. The usual response is ‘I hope they rot in hell’. The times I’ve seen that. And yet those who made such comments will be before their Maker one day . . .
ED am sorry but I certainly don’t feel qualified to talk about this Man . What I will say though is my thoughts and experiences of those ,some who constantly bombard Catholic Church Homes for Charity.
This is sometimes relentless especially in well known Diocese where I have spoken to Priests who said that they sometimes feel Guilty from turning people away.
We know the Gospels the Sermon on the Mount Etc but their are of course limitations.
Although it is now closed their was a certain Abby near Udingston which held 12 Step Meetings but of course many went for the wrong reasons. I am not condemning these people but lots of them then seen the Friars as soft touches and I suppose you know what I mean by them dropping by and asking for Things. Also of course depending on the person or the Priest it is very unsettling for someone to come to your door and if you don’t give then they threaten.
Was this something that transpired in this terrible case in the Beginning ,and of course spiralled out of control. For I know and you probably do also that once a Priest is seen as a so called soft touch concerning Charity, the word soon gets around. Of course I am in know way saying that this Priest was a completely innocent party.
That is for God to Judge.
I well remember that terrible scandal in St Patrick’s, Glasgow where the Polish student was murdered, and all down to the PP of the day more or less running a homeless shelter without checks on the “residents”. The awful thing, if I remember correctly, is that Angelika’s parents, had enquired about a safe Catholic place for her to stay when she came to study in Glasgow. How tragic for them.
Anyway, I agree, they are all before their Maker now, and we can only pray for their souls.
St Leonard is famous for his sermon saying that very few are saved. I read the sermon a couple of times, but here it is on video. It’s very challenging.
Laura,
WOW! I’ve read that sermon of St Leonard and published extracts from it, but maybe listening would be a good idea. Thanks for posting.
That St Leonard sermon is chilling. I have read some of it before, but it would be good to read or listen to it more often – perhaps during November, month of the Holy Souls. Speaking for myself, I don’t think I pray often enough for the Holy Souls, and this sermon is a reminder to me to do that.
If Tobin and Fr Nugent are in the depths of Purgatory, they need a lot of prayers.