Pope says world's many conflicts amount to piecemeal World War Three

REDIPUGLIA Italy (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday the spate of conflicts around the globe today were effectively a "piecemeal" Third World War, condemning the arms trade and "plotters of terrorism" sowing death and destruction.

"Humanity needs to weep and this is the time to weep," Francis said in the homily of a Mass during a visit to Italy's largest war memorial, a large, Fascist-era monument where more than 100,000 soldiers who died in World War One are buried.

Pope says world's many conflicts amount to piecemeal World War Three

I think the conflicts around the world are escalating and they will get worse. The world knows that America has a weak President. Every terrorist and despot will want to make their move over the next 2 years.

I think the Pope is right but there's not much that can be done about it unless we take a more aggressive approach and try to cripple and put the fear of God into other terrorist that might think about forming ISIS or al-Qaeda type organizations.

I think going into Iraq was a mistake but pulling out all of the troops in order to have a popular sound bite at a political rally was a mistake also. Here's more from the Pope.

War is madness," he said in his homily before the massive, sloping granite memorial, made of 22 steps on the side of hill with three crosses at the top.

"Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction," he said.

Last month the pope, who has often condemned the concept of war in God's name, said it would be legitimate for the international community to use force to stop "unjust aggression" by Islamic State militants who have killed or displaced thousands of people in Iraq and Syria, many of them Christians.

a reply to: neoholographic

Well at least this pope actually speaks a modicum of truth

Still say the world doesn't need any religions

At least the pope gets it...

I am not a christian, but there is no denying the true wisdom in his words. It's unfortunate that it will change nothing at all.

WW3 is inevitable if the current progressions in the Middle East aren't halted immediately. Putin won't be stopping in the Ukraine any time soon, either.

I'm not sure what else to say. We're heading down a road that no one, not even the pope can stop. All the pieces are in place. There's little we can do accept wait and pray to whatever god/goddess/deity you worship. Pray for an end to this madness in the name of humanity, before it destroys everything we hold dear.

The site is called the Sacrario militare di Redipuglia, or the Redipuglia military Memorial.

a reply to: neoholographic

POPE '16!

The Pope makes a very interesting argument that has some validity to it, and what makes everything more troubling is the fact that there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Its like we're in permanent crisis mode where the solutions are completely elusive.

I don't think its fair to use this as an opportunity to bash President Obama. He is flawed to be sure, but this world was heading down the wrong path in man ways long before he came along. Violence is violence no matter who commits it and Pope Francis is right to be critical.

While I'm pretty much against religion and their teachings on the whole I've got to agree with the pope on this one, the situation grows worse and worse by the day. Whether something will happen in the next couple of years is unclear but I think its inevitable that WW3 will kick off sometime in the foreseeable future. You would like to think that humans would have learned from their previous mistakes by now but sadly this isn't the case.

a reply to: neoholographic

World war one and two were literally entire well organized countries and empires going head to head, even if the Nazi army of WW2 were around today they would squash ISIS like a bug.

There is a difference between 'the war machine' that a country can become and some random group of some-what organized militants, whom is hated by everyone but themselves, and then some dispute up in the north between Russia and the Ukraine. All of this has been going on for months now, and no full scale invasion has happened yet.

Back when WW2 was happening no-one did anything, at all while entire countries were being invaded and ripped apart politically and by force, Japan and Germany were running rampant and it took a good year for anyone to actually do anything about it.

ISIS hasn't really taken control of any country, even the ill equipped Kurds are holding them at bay, and the Ukraine is doing the same thing. How is that even close to sparking a world war?

It isn't the time to weep, or cower in fear, or to point fingers. It is the time to indentify the evil wherever it may be, and for the people to stand collectively against it, a time to fight back and drive the evil back into the abyss it came from, along with all of the condemned souls it has claimed.

There is a time to weep, when all is lost. This is a time to fight.

His holiness needs to grow a pair.

The world has too many weak leaders, it doesn't need one in the church as well.

imo

most of the worlds conflicts are being waged by young men in the middle east. they are the easiest to make angry, thus the easiest to manipulate....they keep all the weapons manufactures in business making huge profits, all the while tearing down things, people, and ideas, that will create profits for someone in the future with the rebuilding that will eventually have to be done. they are the perfect dupes, for never ending wars, and never ending hatreds.

I admire the Pope for saying what we have known for the past few years. At least he is the first "world leader" to truth of what is happening in the world. I would like to see Obama and Putin echo the same sentiments and realise that we are looking at an abyss that we may not escape from this time. The Cuban Missile Crisis for example was frightendly close to the end for Humanity. We live on a beautiful planet, however it could be a paradise if Humanity could conquer it's desire for war and hatred.

Maybe the anti Christ is US Humans as a collective. We are living on a planet run by power hungry barbaric and warlike apes.

I don't care one way or another about religion, but this pope gets it. "Piecemeal world war three" is exactly right.

Divine Inspiration!!
Thanks Captain Obvious.
You're about 3 Popes too late.
Well, better late than never.

I think he may have been calling for strikes against ISIS before Obama did back when ISIS had those people trapped on that mountain , if I am not mistaking ?

He would know. It's not like the Holy See (especially the Jesuits) hasn't been eye-deep involved in this kind of # for centuries. Enamor yourself with this man at your own peril: the big 3 unholy franchises offer salvation and unity to noone; only misdirection and a slow-burn destruction.

a reply to: neoholographic

Piecemeal World War Three??? Well he should know all about piecemeal conflicts considering the Vatican has a finger in every pie regarding said conflicts, past, present and future I imagine!

I'm sure he will recognise the real thing should it ever transpire considering that Vatican City will be burning just like the rest of Europe and the World.

Since when is a priest such an expert on these things?

Gotta love how he is so quick at drawing this conclusion.....

No shhiiitt!..... Holy Father, kindly please return to your regular duties of whatever it is you do.... but seriously is anybody going to disagree with the state of the world right now..

a reply to: neoholographic

Oddly enough, it is not the people causing the on the ground bloodshed who have the most responsibility in this instance. It is those who continue to supply arms and aid to those who invariably turn around and use those arms and aid to affect the destruction of innocent lives, who actually bare the greatest responsibility for all this, and the idiots are still doing it.

Well I like the pope saying this...but since your writing says the problem is that 'Obama is weak,' which seems to indicate you are one of those people who thinks America should be involved in MORE warfare...in which case I'm not sure why you chose to post this, since America is undoubtedly most invested in war of any country in the world...