Cardinal Pietro Parolin condemned the Russian airstrike against a maternity and children’s hospital in Ukraine. “I’m very worried,” he said. “It’s an all-out war.”
Newsroom (10/03/2022 11:48 AM, Gaudium Press) Responding to journalists’ questions on Wednesday, March 9, Cardinal Pietro Parolin qualified as “unacceptable” the Russian bombing that destroyed a children’s hospital in Mariupol.
“Bombing a hospital is unacceptable. There are no reasons, there are no motivations, to do this,” the Secretary of State of the Holy See stated.
Unacceptable attack
The maternity hospital was completely destroyed, and according to a report from Ukraine, three people died, including a child, and 17 other people were injured.
The first version that was given for this war was that it “was a military operation aimed only at destroying military installations in Ukraine in order to guarantee the security of Russia. But, obviously, bombing a hospital for children, a pediatric hospital, has nothing to do with this purpose,” the Cardinal said.
Growing concern and absent guarantees
Parolin showed his concern about the advancing war. And while the Vatican strives to favour peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, the Secretary of State said that the space for negotiations is still restricted.
Referring to the phone call he had the previous day, March 8, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Parolin stated that the conversation did not provide any guarantees, not even about humanitarian corridors.
Lavrov’s justifications
Meanwhile, Minister Sergey Lavrov justified the attack on the Ukrainian hospital by saying that the maternity and children’s hospital had no patients and served as a military base for the Ukrainian army.
According to Lavrov, “this children’s hospital was taken over long ago by the Azov battalion and other radicals, and all the women who were going to give birth, all the nurses and all support staff had been expelled.”
Cardinal Parolin: “It’s an all-out war”
Regarding eventual developments on the conflict, Cardinal Parolin was not hopeful. “I’m very worried,” he said. “First of all, for what is happening. It’s an all-out war.” (FM)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
