Pope Leo says aerial military strikes should be banned

Pope Leo sharply criticizes aerial bombardments, saying they are indiscriminate and should be banned, in his latest anti-war comments as the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week.

Leo, the first US pope, does not specifically mention the expanding conflict in a meeting with executives and staff from Italy’s ITA Airways, but he strongly decries the use of airpower in warfare.

“No one should have to fear that threats of death and destruction might come from the sky,” says the pope.

“After the tragic experiences of the 20th century, aerial bombings should have been banned forever,” he says. “Yet they still exist … this is not progress; it is regression!”

The pope has called repeatedly for a ceasefire in the Iran war. On Sunday, he called the conflict a “scandal to the whole human family.”

ITA Airways, controlled by Germany’s Lufthansa and the successor to bankrupt national flag carrier Alitalia, is the airline that usually flies the pope out of Rome when he makes overseas trips.