2024-10-01 22:18:24
Pope Francis has criticized military strikes that he says go “beyond morality”, Reuters reported, citing a response from the head of the Roman Catholic Church to a question about Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
During the return flight from Belgium to Rome, the pontiff said that countries cannot “cross the line” in the use of their military forces. “Even in war there are morals that must be preserved,” he declared.
“War is immoral. But the rules of war give it some morality,” the 87-year-old Pope believes. “The defense must always be proportional to the offense. When there is something disproportionate, you see a tendency to dominate that goes beyond the bounds of morality.”
The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics often calls for an end to violent conflict, but usually tries not to appear to be defining who is the aggressor. In recent weeks, he has been more outspoken about Israel’s military actions in the ongoing war against Hamas.
Francis said he spoke by phone “every day” with members of a Catholic parish in Gaza. He said parishioners told him about the conditions on the ground, as well as “the cruelty that goes on there.”
The pope also said victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Belgium deserve more financial compensation, calling the sums so far “too small,” Reuters noted. During his visit to Belgium, the country’s political leaders urged the pontiff to take more concrete action to address sexual abuse by clergy.
Francis also reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to help victims. “We must take care of those who have been abused and punish the abusers,” he stressed.