Pope calls on international community to ensure respect for humanitarian law

By Christopher Wells

“No more striking civilians! No more striking schools or hospitals! No more striking workplaces!”

Pope Francis on Sunday issued a strong plea for an end to attacks on civilians during the Angelus on the first Sunday of 2025, and urged the international community to act “with firmness to ensure that humanitarian law is respected.”

The Holy Father also appealed for continued prayers for peace throughout the world, calling particular attention to Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar, and Sudan.

Previous appeals

Already at the Angelus of 27 October 2024, recalling the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Pope Francis had called for respect for the life and dignity of peoples, and “the integrity of civil structures and places of worship, in observance of international humanitarian law.”

“It’s said,” he said, “to see how in war, in some places, hospitals and schools are being destroyed.”

Aftermath of a Russian missile strike on a civilian building in Ukraine   (AFP or licensors)

War is always a defeat

Pope Francis concluded his remarks this Sunday with a reminder that war never brings victory.

“Let us not forget,” he said, “that war is always a defeat, always!”

Some of the millions of people displaced by the civil war in Sudan   (AFP or licensors)