The Holy See denounced atrocities against civilians in armed conflicts and attacks against hospitals, schools and medical and humanitarian personnel that provide them essential services, saying, “the culture of impunity for such crimes must end.” His Grace Archbishop Bernadito Auza, Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the UN in New York made the remark at a Security Council debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. His Excellency Archbishop also pointed to atrocities in Syria, the villages of Nigeria’s Borno state, and famine and food insecurity in South Sudan and Yemen, saying, “the current level of preventable suffering is, indeed, horrifying.
As reported by en.vaticannews.va, His Grace Archbishop Auza remarked that “More than 20 million people are caught in conflict situations with more than 1.4 million children on the brink of famine. According to Pope Francis, it is utterly unacceptable that so many unarmed persons, including many children, have to pay the price of conflict. Any attack on hospitals, schools and staff, deprives entire generations of their right to life, to health and to education.”
The Holy See’s representative denounced attacks against medical and humanitarian personnel and pointed to international and particular humanitarian law that calls for the protection of health-care and prosecution of perpetrators. His Excellency Archbishop Auza reminded that “the best way to protect civilians is by preventing armed conflicts by addressing their root causes.”
