Multilateral action is
needed to combat Islamic State (ISIS) militants operating in
Iraq and Syria, Vatican Secretary of state Pietro Parolin told
the UN General Assembly on Monday.
However such action should be characterised by a
"proportionate" use of force, Parolin said.
"It is both licit and urgent to stop aggression through
multilateral and a proportionate use of force," the Vatican's
chief diplomat told the assembly in New York.
"The Holy See hopes that the international community will
assume a responsibility in considering the best means to stop
all aggression and avoid the perpetration of new and even
greater injustice," he went on, recalling the UN's
"responsibility to protect" .
Parolin then drew attention to the plight of Christians and
other religious and ethnic minorities being persecuted in the
Middle East, where ISIS controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria
in a self-proclaimed caliphate.
"Their blood demands of us all an unwavering commitment to
respect and promote the dignity of every single person as willed
and created by God," he said.
Up to now "the international community has been
characterized by contradictory voices and even by silence with
regard to theconflicts in Syria, the Middle East and Ukraine,"
continued the Vatican secretary of state.
"It is paramount that there be a unity of action for the
common good, avoiding the cross-fire of vetoes," he added.
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