Pope Says Turkey Has Responsibility to Promote Peace in the Region
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iStock/Thinkstock(ANKARA, Turkey) — Pope Francis praised Turkey for welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and Iraq, but said the rest of the world has a moral obligation to do more to help.
In a speech alongside Turkish President Recep Erdogan during the pope’s three-day visit to the country, the Catholic leader said that Turkey has a great responsibility to promote peace in the region, which is wracked with civil war in Syria and the advance of Islamic militants in Iraq.
The pope repeated his assertion from the spring that it’s legitimate to stop an unjust aggressor through force within the confines of international law.
But, he said a military response is not the sole answer. He called for commitment to dialogue and a concerted global effort to the fight hunger, poverty, and sickness.
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