Pope on bombardment of Lebanon: Every disproportionate defense is immoral

By Vatican News

Pope Francis spoke on Sunday with journalists covering his Apostolic Journey to Luxembourg and Belgium during his customary in-flight press conference.

Here follows a working English transcription and translation of the press conference:

Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office: Good evening, everyone. Thank you, Holy Father, for the time you dedicate to us at the end of this brief but very intense journey. Perhaps you would like to say a word before we begin with the journalists' questions.

Pope Francis: Good morning. I am available for questions.

Michael Merten (Luxemburger Wort)

Holy Father, Luxembourg was the first country, and many people remember your visit to the coffee shop. I would like to ask you about your impressions of Luxembourg and if there is anything that surprised you.

[Pope Francis:] Thank you, my visit to the coffee shop was just a silly thing. Next time I’ll visit a pizzeria. Luxembourg really impressed me as a well-balanced society, with well-considered laws, as well as a different culture. This impressed me a lot, because I was unfamiliar with it.

Belgium, on the other hand, I knew better, because I have been there many times. But Luxembourg was a surprise because of its balance and hospitality; it's something that surprised me. I believe that perhaps the message Luxembourg can offer Europe is precisely this.

Valerie Dupont (Belgian French-Language State TV)

Holy Father, thank you for your availability. Please excuse my voice, but the rain has hit me a bit. Your words at the tomb of King Baldwin have caused some astonishment in Belgium...

But you know that astonishment is the beginning of philosophy, and that's okay.

Valerie Dupont

Perhaps. Some have also seen it as political interference in Belgium's democratic life. The beatification process of the king is linked to his positions. And how can we reconcile the right to life and the defense of life with women's right to have a life without suffering?

It's about all lives, you know. The king was courageous because, faced with a law of death, he did not sign it and resigned. That takes courage, doesn't it? It takes a "real" politician to do this. It takes courage. Even he gave a message with this, and he did it because he was a saint. He is holy and the beatification process will continue, because he gave me proof of this.

Women. Women have the right to life: their own life and the lives of their children. Let's not forget to say this: abortion is murder. Science tells you that within a month of conception, all the organs are already there. A human being is killed. And doctors who engage in this are—allow me the word—hitmen. They are hitmen. This cannot be disputed. A human life is killed. And women have the right to protect life.

A separate matter is contraceptive methods; that's another matter. Don't confuse them. I am speaking now only about abortion. And this cannot be disputed. Forgive me, but it's the truth.

Andrea Vreede (Flemish and Dutch Belgian TV)

Holy Father, during this visit to Belgium too, you had a long meeting with a group of victims of sexual abuse. Often in their accounts, there are cries of despair about the lack of transparency in procedures, closed doors, silence towards them, the slowness of disciplinary actions, the cover-ups you spoke about today, and the issues with compensation for the damages suffered. In the end, things seem to change only when they manage to speak with you, in person. In Brussels, the victims also made a series of requests. How do you intend to proceed with these requests? And wouldn't it be better, perhaps, to create a dedicated department in the Vatican, perhaps an independent entity, as some bishops are requesting, to better address this scourge in the Church and to regain the trust of the faithful?

Thank you. On the last point... There is a department in the Vatican, yes. There is a structure; currently, the president is a Colombian bishop for abuse cases. There is a Commission, and it was created by Cardinal O’Malley. It works! All matters are received in the Vatican and discussed. Even in the Vatican I have received people who have been abused, and I offer strength to move forward. This is the first point.

Secondly, I have listened to people who have been abused. I believe it is a duty. Some say: the statistics show that 40-42-46% of the abused are in the family and local neighborhood; only 3% in the Church. I don’t care about that; I take those of the Church!

We bear the responsibility for helping people who have been abused and taking care of them. Some need psychological treatment; we must help them with this. There is also talk of compensation because it's in civil law. In civil law, I believe it's 50,000 euros in Belgium; that's too low. It’s not something that is needed. I believe the amount is that, but I’m not sure.

But we must take care of people who have been abused and punish the abusers, because abuse is not a sin of today that perhaps tomorrow will not exist. It’s a trend; it's a psychiatric illness, and for this reason, we must offer them treatment and monitor them.

You cannot leave an abuser free to live a normal life, with responsibilities in parishes and schools. Some bishops gave jobs to priests who have done this, after the trial and conviction, for example, in the library, but without contact with children in schools and parishes.

But we must move forward with this. I told the Belgian bishops not to be afraid and to strive ahead, go forward. The shame is to cover up; this is indeed shame.

Courtney Walsh (USA TV)

Thank you very much for your time. We read this morning that 900 kg bombs were used for the targeted assassination of Nasrallah. There are more than a thousand displaced, many dead. Do you think that Israel has perhaps gone too far with Lebanon and Gaza? And how can this be resolved? Is there a message for these people there?

Every day I call the parish of Gaza. More than 600 people are there, inside the parish and the college, and they tell me about the things that are happening, including the cruelties that are occurring there. What you are telling me—I didn’t quite understand how things have been (evolving, ed.)—but defense must always be proportionate to the attack.

When there is something disproportionate, a domineering tendency that goes beyond morality is evident. A country that, with its forces, does these things—I'm talking about any country—that does these things in such a “superlative” way, these are immoral actions.

Even in war, there is morality to be safe-guarded. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicate some morality. But when this is not respected, you can see—as we say in Argentina—the “bad blood” of these things.

Annachiara Valle (Famiglia Cristiana)

Thank you, Holy Father. Yesterday, after the meeting at the Catholic University of Louvain, a statement was released where, I read, “The University deplores the conservative positions expressed by Pope Francis on the role of women in society.” They say that it's a bit restrictive to talk about women only in terms of motherhood, fertility, and care, and that indeed this is somewhat discriminatory, because it is a role that also belongs to men. And related to this, both universities have raised the issue of ordained ministries in the Church.

First of all, this statement was released at the moment when I was speaking. It was pre-written, and this is not moral.

Regarding women, I always speak of the dignity of women, and in this context I said something that I cannot say about men: the Church is woman; she is the bride of Jesus. Masculinizing the Church, masculinizing women is not humane; it is not Christian. The feminine has its own strength. In fact, women—I always say—are more important than men because the Church is female; the Church is the bride of Jesus. If this seems conservative to those ladies, then I am Carlo Gardell (a well-known Argentinian tango singer, ed.). It's not understandable… I see that there is an obtuse mind that does not want to hear about this.

Woman is equal to man. In fact, in the life of the Church, woman is superior because the Church is feminine. Regarding ministry, the mysticism of woman is greater than ministry. There is a great theologian who studied this, asking which is greater: the Petrine ministry or the Marian ministry. The Marian ministry is greater, because it is a ministry of unity that involves others; the other is a ministry of management.

The maternal nature of the Church is the maternal nature of a woman. Ministry is a much lesser ministry, meant to accompany the faithful, always within a maternal nature. Various theologians have studied this, and say this is a real thing; I don't say modern, but real; it is not outdated.

An exaggerated feminism, which means that women are chauvinists, does not work. One thing is a masculinism that is not okay; another is a feminism that is not okay. What works is the feminine Church being greater than the priestly ministry. And this is not often considered.

But thank you for the question. And thank you all for this journey and for the work you have done. I'm sorry that time is tight here. But thank you, thank you very much. I pray for you; you pray for me. Pray on my behalf!

(The Pope is reminded of the tragedy of fifty people missing at sea off the coast of the Canary Islands.)

It greatly pains me to hear of all those people missing off the Canaries. Today, so many migrants seeking freedom are lost at sea or near the sea. We can think of Crotone, right? 100 meters... from your land (speaking to one reporter, ed.). Let's think of that. This is something to cry about, to weep for.

This is a working translation and transcription. Words and expressions in parenthesis are provided for clarity.