Pope says UN peacekeepers should stay in Lebanon

While Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu is saying the UN forces in southern Lebanon should leave, Pope Francis on October 13 asked that the “United Nations peacekeeping forces [be] respected.”

The Israeli attack on Lebanon has resulted in the injury of various of the UN forces.

In a video message directed to the UN leader on Sunday, Netanyahu said the peacekeepers should leave the area.

“Mr Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Netanyahu said.

The same day, Pope Francis said he continues “follow[ing] with concern what is happening in the Middle East, and I ask once again for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts. Let us pursue the paths of diplomacy and dialogue to achieve peace.”

He added:

I am close to all the populations involved, in Palestine, Israel and Lebanon, where I ask the United Nations peacekeeping forces to be respected. I pray for all the victims, for the displaced, for the hostages whom I hope will soon be released, and I hope that this great pointless suffering, engendered by hatred and revenge, will end soon.

Brothers and sisters, war is an illusion, it is a defeat: It will never lead to peace, it will never lead to security, it is a defeat for all, especially for those who believe themselves invincible. Stop, please!

In the address after praying the midday Angelus, the Pope also noted two other conflict hotspots, reiterating his constant appeals for Ukraine, and highlighting the situation in Haiti.

About Ukraine, he urged that innocent people not “be left to freeze to death.”

I appeal for the Ukrainians not to be left to freeze to death; stop the air strikes against the civilian population, always the most affected. Stop the killing of innocent people!

And the already devastating situation of gang violence in Haiti has escalated in recent days.

I am following the dramatic situation in Haiti, where violence continues against the population, forced to flee from their own homes in search of safety elsewhere, inside and outside the country. Let us never forget our Haitian brothers and sisters. I ask everyone to pray for an end to all forms of violence and, with the commitment of the international community, to continue working to build peace and reconciliation in the country, always defending the dignity and rights of all.

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