By Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – As a military operation in northern Iraq fights to wrestle control of areas held by retaliating Islamic State forces, Pope Francis criticized the “cruelty” and heinous violence waged against innocent civilians – with scores displaced and many others captured and used as human shields, or killed.
He invited people to pray with him, asking that “Iraq, while gravely stricken, might be both strong and firm in the hope of moving toward a future of security, reconciliation and peace.”
Speaking to visitors in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 23 for the Angelus prayer, the pope said, “In these dramatic hours, I am close to the entire population of Iraq, especially that of the city of Mosul.”
“Our hearts are shocked by the heinous acts of violence that for too long have been perpetrated against innocent citizens, whether they be Muslims, whether they be Christians, or people belonging to other ethnic groups and religions.”
He said he was “saddened to hear news of the killing, in cold blood, of many sons and daughters of that beloved land, including many children; this cruelty makes us weep, leaving us without words.”
The pope’s remarks came as Iraqi government troops and Kurdish fighters backed by a U.S.-led coalition were seeking to retake control of Mosul, the nation’s second-largest city. As the so-called Islamic State lost control of a number of villages, it has stepped up attacks in other parts of the country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights verified reports that IS militants were forcing residents of surrounding villages into Mosul – presumably to be used as human shields.
According to published reports in late October and early November, coalition forces were prepared to enter Mosul, but had encountered fierce opposition. Reports also indicated that some 284 men and boys who were used as human shields, were believed to have been rounded up and shot to death by IS fighters – with their bodies dumped into a mass grave in northern Mosul.
As humanitarian groups worked to aid those already displaced by the offensive – estimated in some reports to be around 18,000 – many were preparing for what’s feared to become a mass exodus because more than 1 million people were thought to be inside Mosul.
Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Iraq said they have already been assisting thousands of people who fled since the new offensive began Oct. 17.