Pope Francis
Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church had spoken out on several occasions regarding the atrocities being committed in Iraq and Syria by the Islamic State. He expressed great sympathy and support for the Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities who are facing unprecedented levels of persecution.
"In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor," Pope Francis told journalists. "I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm not saying 'bomb' or 'make war,' just 'stop.' And the means that can be used to stop them must be evaluated."
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIL has caused close to 1.2 million Iraqi and other minority civilians to flee from their homes to other Kurdish territories for refuge. The ISIS has already accumulated enough Iraqi territory, manpower and weapons to threaten the Iraqi government and Kurdistan forces. Some government insiders have expressed that ISIS is now a direct threat to the United States.
Minorities in Iraq, including Christians and Sunni Muslims are falling victim to atrocious acts of violence such as the beheading of children and rape. The ISIS even targets ethnic minorities such as Yazidis. The ISIS militants have dubbed the Yazidi people as “demon worshippers”. At one point thousands of Yazidis were trapped on top of Mount Sinjar, surrounded by Jihadists who threatened to kill anyone who tries to escape from the mountain top.
"My heart is deeply wounded by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic developments," the Pope said in his papal appearance in St. Peter's Square in 2013. "With utmost firmness, I condemn the use of chemical weapons. I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart. There is the judgment of God, and also the judgment of history, upon our actions, from which there is no escaping." said the Pope.
Only last month, the Pope had dispatched a Cardinal to Iraq to show his support for the Christians and other minorities in the Iraq-Syria area. The religious leader also called for a world-wide prayer movement for those who are being persecuted by the Islamic militants.
