Pope Francis on Sept. 29 strongly condemned the disproportionate use of military force for the purposes of retaliation and said that any nation that violates this principle is “immoral.”
“The defense must always be proportionate to the attack,” said Francis when asked about the Sept. 27 assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israeli forces in Lebanon that has put the region on the brink of an all-out war.
While Francis said he did not know the specifics of the situation, he put his palm into his face as a reporter recounted the escalating events in the Middle East and warned against “dominating tendencies.”
The pope recounted that he phones the Catholic parish in Gaza on a daily basis and they inform him of the latest developments, including the “cruelty” taking place.
“All war is immoral,” said the pope, “but disproportionate retaliation is immoral.”
The pope’s remarks came during a brief 20-minute in-flight press conference en route back to Rome following a Sept. 26-29 journey to Luxembourg and Belgium, a trip where the pontiff was repeatedly rebuked for the Catholic Church’s handling of clergy abuse and its positions on women.
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Christopher White, where this article originally appeared.
