Pope Benedict XVI praised the 108 nations that have adopted a treaty banning the stockpiling and use of cluster bombs and encouraged other nations to follow suit “for the defense of human dignity and human life.” Speaking on Aug. 1 at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo, the day the Convention on Cluster Munitions went into effect, the pope said the weapons, which release hundreds of small “bomblets” over a wide area, “provoke unacceptable damage on civilians.” The pope expressed his personal concern for “the numerous victims who have suffered and continue to suffer” serious damage “because of these insidious weapons.” The pope said he hoped nations that did not adopt the treaty—including the United States, Russia and China—would nevertheless adhere to it and that the entire international community “would continue on this path with increasing energy…to establish a peaceful international order and to achieve the common good of all persons and all peoples.”
Pope Praises Ban On Cluster Munitions
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
As I sit sore and tired, I cannot also help but think that the N.Y.C. Marathon for me is a thin space, a space where I can easily see God’s presence in the world.
Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples has been named as one of the prelates Pope Francis will make a cardinal on December 7th.
“I will not vote for president this year,” Monica Brent writes. “I cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump, for many reasons. However, Kamala Harris’s stance on abortion makes her a no-go for me, as well. ”
Pope Francis, your encyclical on the Sacred Heart, “Dilexit Nos,” is beautiful and heartwarming. And for Catholics in the United States, the timing was perfect.