Vatican City: Pope Francis criticized Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, which resulted in the martyrdom of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and unarmed civilians, calling the assaults morally unjustifiable.
According to Reuters, Pope Francis made these remarks while returning to Rome from Belgium, stating that nations should not exercise military power with such aggression, especially when even wars have ethical standards.
He emphasized that while war itself is immoral, there are still ethical rules that should be observed during conflicts.
During an in-flight press conference, the 87-year-old Pope responded to a question by stating that defense should always be proportionate to the attack. When actions become disproportionate, it leads to an imbalance of power, which transcends morality.
Pope Francis also expressed deep sorrow and anger over the deaths of children from Israel’s relentless bombings in Gaza.
He mentioned that he is in daily contact with Catholic clergy in Gaza, who update him on the ongoing atrocities and the dire situation in the region.
As the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, Pope Francis often calls for peaceful resolutions to conflicts and advocates for peace, though he typically refrains from directly naming aggressive nations. However, in recent weeks, he has openly addressed Israel’s brutal actions, especially as the violent crackdown on Hamas and Palestinian civilians in Gaza nears its one-year mark.
Last week, Pope Francis condemned Israel’s airstrikes in Lebanon as unacceptable and urged the international community to take every possible measure to stop the war.
