Pope Francis considers the escalation of the war in Lebanon unacceptable

At the end of this morning’s General Audience, Pope Francis described the escalation of violence in Lebanon as “unacceptable” and called on the International Community to stop it.

Last Monday, September 23, the Israeli army launched its largest offensive against Lebanon in decades, leaving nearly five hundred thousand dead, almost two thousand wounded and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Clashes between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, derived from the conflict between Israel and Gaza that began in October 2023, persist today for the third consecutive day.

This morning, 40 projectiles were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory, which were intercepted by the country’s air defenses.

For this reason, Pope Francis assured that he follows “the situation in Lebanon with concern” and assured that he is “pained by the news” coming from the country, where in recent days “intense bombings have caused many victims and destruction.”

Likewise, he called on the International Community to make “every effort to stop this terrible escalation” of the conflict.

“It is unacceptable. “I express my closeness to the Lebanese people, who have already suffered too much in the recent past,” she added.

Finally, he invited the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican to pray for all the peoples who suffer because of the war, such as “the martyred Ukraine”, Myanmar, Palestine, Israel and Sudan.