Source: Crux
Link: cruxnow DOT com/vatican/2024/01/as-fighting-rages-in-ukraine-and-gaza-pope-calls-for-recognition-of-war-crimes
As fighting rages in Ukraine and Gaza, Pope calls for recognition of war crimes
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ROME — After a year that saw thousands of civilians die in violent conflicts such as wars in Gaza and in Ukraine, Pope Francis told diplomats accredited to the Holy See Monday that international war crimes must be recognized and prevented.
In his Jan. 8 address, the pope noted said that as the year 2024 opens the world is “increasingly lacerated” by conflict, and as “the distinction between military and civil objectives is no longer respected.”
“There is no conflict that does not end up in some way indiscriminately striking the civilian population,” he said, adding, “The events in Ukraine and Gaza are clear proof of this.”
In this regard, “We must not forget that grave violations of international humanitarian law are war crimes, and that it is not sufficient to point them out, but also necessary to prevent them,” Francis said.
“Consequently, there is a need for greater effort on the part of the international community to defend and implement humanitarian law, which seems to be the only way to ensure the defense of human dignity in situations of warfare,” he said.
Pope Francis spoke during his annual speech to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, who represent the 184 nations that currently have full diplomatic relations with the Holy See, as well as those with other forms of representation.
He focused his speech on the topic of peace “at a moment in history when it is increasingly threatened, weakened and in part lost,” repeating his past affirmation that the world is experiencing “a third world war fought piecemeal” that is turning into “a genuine global conflict.”
In terms of current conflicts, the pope pointed specifically to the conflict raging between Israel and Palestine, voicing “shock” at Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the torture, killing, and kidnapping of hundreds of innocent people.
To this end, he condemned the attack “and every instance of terrorism and extremism,” saying violence is never a way to resolve conflicts.
As proof of this, he noted that the attack provoked “a strong Israeli military response in Gaza that has led to the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians, mainly civilians … and has caused an exceptionally grave humanitarian crisis and inconceivable suffering.”
Francis repeated his call for a ceasefire “on every front, including Lebanon,” and he urged the immediate release of the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
He also repeated his calls for a two-state solution, “one Israeli and one Palestinian, as well as an internationally guaranteed special status for the City of Jerusalem, so that Israelis and Palestinians may finally live in peace and security.”
Pope Francis also lamented the ongoing war “waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” saying, “One cannot allow the persistence of a conflict that continues to metastasize, to the detriment of millions of persons.”
“It is necessary to put an end to the present tragedy through negotiations, in respect for international law,” he said.
In his speech, Pope Francis said there is a need “to realize more clearly that civilian victims are not ‘collateral damage,’ ” but real people with names, faces and stories.
“Were we to be able to look each of them in the eye, call them by name, and learn something of their personal history, we would see war for what it is: Nothing other than an immense tragedy, a ‘useless slaughter,’ ” he said.
[…]
Pope Francis closed his speech noting that the Jubilee of Hope is set to begin at the end of this year, saying, “Today, perhaps more than ever, we need a Holy Year.”
Amid the various situations of hopelessness and suffering that countless people are living, “the Jubilee is a proclamation that God never abandons his people and constantly keeps open the doors to his Kingdom,” he said.
Noting that jubilee years are times of grace and repentance in the Judeo–Christian tradition, the pope said it is a time when “sins are forgiven, reconciliation prevails over injustice, and the earth can be at rest.”
“For everyone — Christians and non-Christians alike — the Jubilee can be a time when swords are beaten into ploughshares, a time when one nation will no longer lift up sword against another, nor learn war anymore,” he said, and wished the diplomats and their families blessings for the new year.
