Pope decries unilateral strikes, 'state terrorism'
November 25, 2014
In an exchange with reporters on his return flight to Rome on November 25, after addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Pope Francis said that dialogue with terrorists is “difficult, you could say almost impossible, but the door is always open.”
The Pope made that remark in response to a question about the possibility of talks with the Islamic State. He acknowledged that the prospects were not good, but added: “I never count anything as lost; never. Never close the door.”
Pope Francis went on to say that Islamic terrorism is not the only threat to the lives of innocent people. He denounced what he called “state terrorism,” saying that he was referring to the actions of any individual nation that takes military action unilaterally, on the theory that it has “the right to massacre terrorists, and with the terrorists many innocent people fall.”
The Pope also mentioned slavery and human trafficking as threats similar to terrorism in that they destroy innocent lives.
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