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Mother of Irish 9/11 victim Joanne Cregan forgives Bin Laden

‘why perpetuate the poison, why continue the hatred’ she asks

KATE HICKEY,

IrishCentral.com Editor

Published Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 7:03 AM

Updated Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 10:26 AM

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Joanne Creegan, a 32-year-old Dublin woman was killed in the North Tower of the World Trade on 9/11

The mother of Joanne Creegan, a 32-year-old Dublin woman who was killed in the North Tower of the World Trade on 9/11, has said that she forgives Osama Bin Laden for his crimes and hopes that he will rest in peace.

Joanna, from Churchtown, Dublin was working on the 105th floor of the North Tower as PA with Cantor Fitzgerald when the first plane hit. Her sister, Grace, who worked in the South Tower managed to escape.

Speaking to the Evening Herald, Mary said "May the Lord have mercy on his soul. We all feel blessed that we hold no hatred…Why perpetuate the poison? Why continue the hatred?...“He must have been burning with hate, he was not a happy man. I wouldn’t like to be in his head.”

Joanne had moved to New York with her sister Grace. They bought apartment, just two floors apart, in Brooklyn Heights. The pair were inseparable. They sent each other emails throughout the day and watched TV together at night.

In the New York Times "Portraits of Grief" her sister Grace spoke about how difficult it have been for her since her sister's death. She said "She was an excellent big sister…Sometimes it just hits me that I'll never see her again. I won't get to grow old with her."

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Bin Laden’s Irish teacher remembers “an inoffensive young fellow”

Irish survivor of 9/11 reacts to Bin Laden’s death

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21 Comments

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siesiesie | May 05, 2011, 11:06 PM EDT

This is a beautiful, touching story.. I think when you look at what this woman says, despite all her heartache, compared to the coverage of the U.S. media, you can see the gulf in grace...

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OnlyJean | May 04, 2011, 09:28 PM EDT

jnewnam - I will keep you in my prayers. Life is like a passing flower. We must always be ready when we are called. I am assuming that you are not a practicing Catholic or Catholic at all by your attacks on such a holy man as John Paul II. You don't know his life story. Few could be a sacrifical as this great man.

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jamieLM | May 04, 2011, 06:52 PM EDT

Forgiveness is what Christ taught by his actions and his words. It's the letting go of anger, hatred, and bitter feelings for the people who have wronged us. No one should criticize anyone else, unless they've forgiven all of the wrongs done to them during their lifetime and always engage in Christian-like behavior. How many Irish and people of Irish ancestry have forgiven the British - past and present British? I applaud Mrs. Cregan for her ability to move forward through the act of forgiveness and leaving Bin Laden's ultimate fate up to God.

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jnewnam | May 04, 2011, 05:07 PM EDT

The Roman Catholic Church is a complete mess and divided by the socialist in it that think they are Catholic but have forgotten the 100 years the Church has fought socialism, communism and liberation theology. A man who fought it and never ceased in his condemnation of it was beatified this pass weekend, too. This women can forgive whomever she chooses to forgive, but in truth her forgiveness of him (Bin Laden) means nothing to his salvation and unless he asked forgiveness from God he has condemned himself to hell. And it is still appropriate to hold him to JUSTICE here on earth.

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manhattan | May 04, 2011, 03:41 PM EDT

Here's my forgiveness, it is for the 75 year old virgin that is with him now.

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GeorgeDillon | May 04, 2011, 02:57 PM EDT

Sandyflesh: Are you an idiot? Are you saying that Mrs Cregan did not suffer any injury? That she wasn't wronged? And you obviously don't know your New Testament. Why did Christ call on us to forgive if we don't have that "prerogative"? You're loco.

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GeorgeDillon | May 04, 2011, 02:27 PM EDT

Sounds like Mrs Cregan is a true Catholic. Not like some of the posters here, who will undoubtedly be crawthumping in some church on Sunday. They're the same types who were cheerleading the attack on Iraq a few years back. Repeat after me, you sham Catholics, the words you learnt at school: "Love your enemies, says Christ. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who abuse and persecute you". We are also taught: "To those who forgive, will forgiveness be given." God Bless You, Mrs Cregan, and Comfort You in Your Loss.

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Sandyflash | May 04, 2011, 02:26 PM EDT

I'm sorry, but she hasn't the right to forgive, she was not the one who was killed, only the person wronged has that perogative, Christ forgave on the cross, he was the one who was crucified, he earned that right. And he did, I have never read about forgivness from the apostiles.

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naraic123 | May 04, 2011, 02:20 PM EDT

According to RTE news , Joe Higgins, Socialist/Communist MP defended Bin Ladin and regretted his demise and condemned the Irish Govt. For it's support of the U S Govt. God help the old sod when people like these are legislating in the parliament !

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jamieLM | May 04, 2011, 11:56 AM EDT

As an American, I'll never forget the pain and suffering bin Laden caused on 9/11, but now I feel relief and satisfaction that he's dead and gone. Good riddance, moving on. Knowing that this cowardly, murdering, spoiled-rotten evil hypocrite is dead, right or wrong, does please me. Btw: Bin Laden and his fanatics have killed more Muslims than Americans ever have and they continue to kill fellow Muslims. The latest bomb attack was yesterday in Iraq that killed 16 Iraqi civilians at a cafe. Al Queda and the Taliban have killed thousands of Mulsim policemen, govt. officials, worshippers, teachers, women, children, to name a few, in Iraq and Afghanistan. These radical Muslim factions continue to murder their own people, including Saddam who slaughtered many of the Kurds before the U.S. military arrived. They've got that Sunni-Shia thing going on, too, that has nothing to do with the U.S. military. The sooner the U.S. gets out of there, the better.

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PhlutiePhan | May 04, 2011, 11:42 AM EDT

There are plenty of mourners for Osama here in the U.S. and not all of them are Muslim. He was seen by various minorities in this country as being a "savior" to the economic oppression seen in their lives. Who were his supporters outside the country. It is obvious that Pakistan gave him "aid and comfort". What about Iran and Russia? It is related that Robert Hannsen of FBI infamy had given to the Russians technology that the U.S. was using to track terrorists. The Russians then handed it over to Osama. The same "chain-of-operations" exist in Ireland and Hugo Chavez's South America. You even see it in the Catholic Church with a recent book on Eastern European spies in the Vatican.

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bluesman | May 04, 2011, 11:42 AM EDT

Wow ten years of grieving will definitley affect the thought process. Heres hoping osamas 72 virgins are men, big men. Praise allah now!!

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Renee750il | May 04, 2011, 11:18 AM EDT

Thank you, Mary Creegan, for being a voice of Light in dark times. Osama must work out his own dan/kharma on the next leg of his journey. Let us leave him to it.

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IrishCanuck | May 04, 2011, 11:17 AM EDT

Seeing that Bin Landen was set up by the Americans like Sadam Husein was I'm not even sure that he is dead or even existed. There is so much that the American people and the world for that matter that don't have a clue to what is going on in the government. Having said that I think that this lady is very courages to stand by her faith which says to forgive but scum like cillowen who is exumed in so much hate that if he doesn't loose it he will be going to hell.

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muslimteaparty | May 04, 2011, 11:15 AM EDT

Let the individual forgive for her own purposes. It is difficult and unproductive to carry hate. OBL has to answer to God now... as merciful as God may be, murdering innocent women, children, and civilians is as barbaric as it gets Join the Muslim Tea Party www.muslimteaparty.com

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