To mark the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions on Sunday the 11th of August, Pope Francis with a message during his Angelus prayer, urged humanity for the protection of life and promotion human dignity in armed conflicts.
The Geneva Convention define the basic rights of wartime prisoners, established protections for the wounded and sick and the established protections for the civilians in and around a war-zone.
Signed in the aftermath of World War II on August 12, 1949, the four Geneva Conventions expanded international humanitarian law for the protection of civilian populations during war and further defined protocols for the humane treatment of prisoners of war, as well as for the wounded and the sick.
The Holy Father said, these conventions are important international legal instruments that impose limits on the use of force in times of war, saying we all should never forget that war and terrorism are always a serious loss for all humanity.
Pope Francis stressed the significance of protecting unarmed populations and civil structures today, especially hospitals, schools, places of worship, and refugee camps.
This important message from the Pope comes barely a month after he spoke out after an airstrike, hit a migrant detention center amid the armed conflict in Libya, killing more than 50 people, a serious violation that the international community must not tolerate.
The Holy Father, concluded the Angelus prayer by saying that, we all are invited to live an authentic and mature faith, capable of illuminating the many ‘nights of life.
He said, the thought of our final encounter with God who is rich in mercy, should fill us with hope, and spurs us to a constant commitment to our sanctification and to build a more just and fraternal world.
Report: Jacqueline Saidi