The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said on Friday (17) that hospitals should not be targets of attacks in the war between Israel and the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas and reiterated his and Pope Francis’ appeal for a ceasefire. fire in the country. region.
“It is a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law that there are some places which, even in the event of war, must be safeguarded, first of all hospitals,” the cardinal told Sky, referring to the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza.
The medical center, which hosts hundreds of patients and thousands of displaced people, was surrounded several days ago by the Israeli army, while intense fighting occurred around hospitals in Gaza.
The Israeli military says Hamas militants use the sites as command centers.
“Health workers should not be harmed in carrying out their work. The inhumanity of war also lies in the fact that it takes nothing and no one into account,” Parolin said.
According to the Vatican secretary “the only objective becomes to destroy the enemy, destroy the adversary, trample on people’s rights, above all the right to be treated”.
“These places must be protected by everyone. No one uses them for their own purposes and no one attacks them,” he warned.
During the interview Parolin underlined that “I would like to repeat the appeal that the Pope has made several times, in all the speeches he has made since 7 October”, that is, for the release of the war hostages.
“The release of the hostages is a key point in resolving the situation,” he continued.
According to him, “there are children, even newborns, pregnant women, elderly people, adults, young people (among the hostages), not only Israelis, but also people of other nationalities.”
“I believe this is a fundamental point in trying to break the deadlock,” added Parolin.
Furthermore, the Secretary of State of the Holy See expressed concern about the growth of anti-Semitism, because “it is a monster that always tries to be reborn” and everyone has seen “what consequences and what dramas it has caused in the recent past”, in the century last year, the Holocaust and what it unfortunately entailed.”
“There is therefore always a lurking danger, which we must be very careful about. On the part of the Catholic Church there has been a serious and ongoing commitment against anti-Semitism and above all towards the education of the new generations. I think one of the problems is forgetting the past,” she explained.
Ukraine
Regarding the Russian war in Ukraine, Parolin explained that the Pope has the desire to travel to the two capitals – Moscow and Kiev – if the conditions exist to carry out this visit.
“Currently there is no longer any talk of a visit by the Pope, also due to the fact that he sent Cardinal Matteo Zuppi on a mission, but he remains in the shadows”, he declared.
Finally, Parolin assured that Francisco will be willing to put an end to this war which continues cruelly, with enormous losses on both sides.”
“We are committed above all to the humanitarian aspects, to the release of prisoners, to the exchange of existing lists and then to the return of the children”, he concluded. .
Source: Terra
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