Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations and other international organizations, addressed the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva and called on all parties in armed conflicts to respect the law international humanitarian law for the protection of civilians. Emphasis on responsibility.
Vatican News
The Holy See has once again strongly condemned the systematic violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) amid current conflicts around the world, including in the Middle East and Ukraine, and reiterated that indiscriminate targeting of civilians is morally “unacceptable.”
Speaking at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, the Vatican’s permanent observer archbishop, Ettore Balestrero, said that civilian populations continue to suffer in armed conflicts due to indiscriminate attacks that violate human rights. international. “Civilians killed can never be considered ‘collateral damage,'” he said.
Archbishop Balestrero also expressed the Holy See’s deep concern about the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas, causing displacement and massive damage to cities, schools, hospitals, places of worship and other infrastructure vital to civilians.
He recalled that adherence to “International Humanitarian Law” is not only possible but mandatory, echoing the words of Pope Francis, reaffirming that every person is sacred, even in the midst of the devastation of war.
He said: “We cannot regard war as inevitable, nor can we regard everything as justified in times of war.”
Raise public opinion about international humanitarian law
In view of the current worrying global context, Archbishop Balestrero highlighted the urgent need for an educational process aimed at disseminating international humanitarian law and its moral foundations, and called for the role of the Catholic Church in “awakening public conscience” on these issues.
The need to prevent the use of artificial intelligence as a weapon in conflicts
He said this is even more important today in light of technological advances and the weaponization of artificial intelligence, which is increasingly becoming central to fueling hostilities.
In this regard, the Holy See notes that it supports the responsible use of digital and cyber technologies, and urges that they be reserved “for peaceful purposes, cooperation and mutual prosperity.”
“The centrality of the human person and the preservation of dignity, the safeguarding of the fundamental principles of humanity and the supreme value of life must remain firmly present in the collective conscience.”
The commitment of the Holy See
The Archbishop said that the Holy See has made three promises over the next four years to support this awareness-raising effort: to train Catholic chaplains in international humanitarian law, to promote its ethical foundations, especially for civil and religious ones, to promote interreligious dialogue , protect the sites, and foster mutual respect that contributes to the protection of human dignity and the promotion of the values that inform international humanitarian law.
Remembering that war is always a defeat, Archbishop Balestrero reiterated the Pope’s call that not weapons, nor terrorism, nor war, but compassion, justice and dialogue are the appropriate means to build peace.
Contents discussed at the Geneva conference
The 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent will take place from 28 to 31 October and will be attended by representatives of 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and 196 Member States of the Geneva Convention . The theme of the conference is ‘Confronting Uncertainty – Strengthening Humanity’ Improve the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel; promote sustainable, locally driven humanitarian action; Anticipation, preparation and adaptation, importance of the ‘law of disasters’ in the face of the climate challenge; The focus is particularly on compliance with international humanitarian law on issues such as the impact of digital technologies on warfare.
