Pope Francis criticized the military attacks, which according to him go "beyond morality". reported Reuters, quoted by BTA, citing a response from the head of the Roman Catholic Church to a question about Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that killed the leader of "Hezbollah" Hassan Nasrallah.
During the return flight from Belgium to Rome, the pontiff said that countries cannot "cross borders" in the use of its military forces. "Even in war there is a moral that must be preserved," he declared.
"War is immoral. But the rules of war give it some morality," the 87-year-old Pope believes. "Defense must always be proportional to offense. When there is something out of proportion, you see a tendency to dominate that goes beyond the bounds of morality.
The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics often calls for an end to violent conflict, but usually tries not to appear to define who is the aggressor. In recent weeks, he has been more outspoken about Israel's military actions in the ongoing war against Hamas.
Francis stated that "every day" spoke on the phone with members of a Catholic parish in Gaza. He said parishioners tell him about the conditions on the ground, as well as "the cruelty that goes on there".
The pope also said that victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Belgium deserve more financial compensation, calling the sums so far "too small," according to Reuters. During his visit to Belgium, the country's political leaders urged the pontiff to take more concrete action to address sexual abuse by clergy.
Francis also reaffirmed the Catholic Church's commitment to helping victims. "We must take care of those who have been abused and punish the abusers," he stressed.