Vatican cardinal calls for ‘proportional military action’ in Iraq

May 20, 2015

Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, said in an interview that “we need political action and proportional military action” in Iraq, according to Rome Reports.

“This is not killing for killing. It should not be so ever, but defense mechanisms are needed,” said the prelate, who once served as apostolic nuncio in Iraq, and has also served as Pope Francis’s special envoy to beleaguered Christians there.

“One of the big problems in Iraq is that individual rights are not based in law,” he continued. “Everything is interpreted according to the law of Islam. It is dangerous.”

He added:

If there is no historical criticism that questions what jihad means, should we understand the word to mean the use of the sword and violent conquest? Or should we define it as conversion? That is, should people have the right to spread the religion, but also have the right to reject it?

 

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Further information:

• Cardinal Filoni: Proportional military action is needed in Iraq (Rome Reports)