Local Editor
The consequences of the war in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East “are before our eyes”, Pope Francis said after meeting with United Arab Emirates leaders in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Francis marked the first-ever visit by a head of the Catholic Church to the Arabian Peninsula, beginning a three-day tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) meant to celebrate tolerance and promote interfaith dialogue.
“War cannot create anything but misery, weapons bring nothing but death...Its fateful consequences are before our eyes. I am thinking in particular of Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya,” he said in a speech during a historic visit to the UAE, which is playing a leading military role in the Yemen war.
“Let us commit ourselves against the logic of armed power,” he said.
Francis issued remarks touching on the country's foreign policy just before leaving the Vatican on Sunday.
He criticized the bombardment of Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, urging for peace and an end to the war in which the UAE and Saudi Arabia have become key players.
The Saudis and Emiratis, along with regional partners and with logistical support from the U.S., launched an offensive in Yemen beginning in 2015 in support of its ousted President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The airstrikes have caused the majority of civilian deaths in the country, which now number well above 10,000.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
