The Pope, Lebanon? ‘disproportionate defense is immoral’

(ANSA) – PAPAL PLANE, SEPTEMBER 29 – “The defense must always be proportionate to the attack. When there is something disproportionate, a dominating tendency that goes beyond morality becomes visible.” The Pope said this in response to a question about the bombs on Lebanon and the conflict in the Middle East, underlining that “those of a country, any country” that uses “forces” “in such a superlative way” are “immoral actions”. “War is immoral but the rules of war indicate a morality”, “when this is not there you see, let’s say in Argentina, bad blood”, said the Pope in the in-flight press conference. Francis returned to the topic of abuse: “We have the responsibility to take care of the abused, some need psychological treatment, to help them with this too. We talk about compensation for this because it is there in civil law”, he said, also giving figures , for example the 50 thousand euros expected in Belgium, a figure that the Pope defined as “too low”. “We must take care of abused people and punish abusers” because “abuse is not a sin today and maybe not tomorrow: it is a trend, it is a psychiatric illness and for this reason we must put them in treatment and control them, it cannot be left a free abuser like this, with responsibilities in parishes or schools. I told the Belgian bishops not to be afraid and to move forward, shame is covering up.” The Pope then replied to the Catholic University of Leuven which yesterday had protested in a note against Francis’ words on women. “This statement was made at the moment I spoke, it was pre-made and this is not moral.” “The Church is woman, she is the bride of Jesus. Masculinising the Church, masculinising women is not human, it is not Christian. The woman – I always say it and I have said it – is more important than men. If this to those ladies – said the Pope, still referring to the statement from the Catholic University of Louvain – it seems conservative, I am Carlo Gardel” (a tango singer from the past). Reiterating that “the Church is female”, he commented: “I see that there is a dull mind that does not want to hear about this”. On the priesthood of women he reiterates that in the Church “the Marian ministry is greater than the Petrine ministry”. “The ‘maternity’ of the Church is the ‘maternity’ of a woman” and the priesthood is “a much minor ministry given to accompany the faithful but always within motherhood”. “An exaggerated feminism, which means that women are chauvinistic, does not work. One thing is chauvinism that is wrong, one thing is feminism that is wrong. What is right is the female Church which is greater than the priestly ministry”, he concluded. (HANDLE).