Vatican urges 'multilateral, proportionate' response to ISIS

(ANSA) - New York, September 30 - 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.