“We are very concerned about the systematic violation of international law.”
Those were the words of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, expressing the Holy See’s apprehension about the resumption of various conflicts around the world — particularly the recent violence in the Gaza Strip, which Pope Francis condemned yesterday in his Angelus message.
The Israeli Embassy to the Holy See responded to the pope today via its account on X, affirming that Israel was acting in accordance with international law.
Cardinal Parolin — speaking on the sidelines of this afternoon’s event at the Augustinianum, entitled ‘Vatican Longevity Summit: defying the clock of time’ — told journalists that the pope’s appeal “is a call to stop, to find ways of dialogue and peace.”
“Recently,” the cardinal secretary of state said, “we spoke with the Red Cross and they too are very, very much in difficulty. The bombing of civilians, the killing of humanitarian workers — these are all actions that go precisely against humanitarian law, and today there is no respect for humanitarian law. This is one of the great limitations of this period: there is no respect for humanitarian law anymore.”
Republished with permission from Vatican News.