ABSTRACT
Father Jenco was held captive for 564 days in makeshift prisons by the Shiite Muslims. He unconditionally forgave his captors while he was imprisoned. He had written a letter to this effect prior to knowing that there was any possibility of release. One of his captors read Jenco's letter and several months later asked his forgiveness using the words from his unsent letter: `I was called to forgive, to let go revenge, retaliation, and vindictiveness. And I was challenged to forgive him [one of his captors] unconditionally. I could not forgive him on condition that he changed his behaviour to conform to my wishes and values. I had no control over his response' (Jenco 1993: 49). He forgave his captor. Jenco's forgiveness gave them permission to change and he was later freed. I believe, and this is central to the Christian view, that forgiveness does not depend on the repentance of the other person. The reverse may well be true: forgiveness can lead to repentance.
