Pope calls for strong, credible accord against cluster bombs

Published: 2008-05-19

GENOA, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI called for a "strong and credible" international accord against cluster bombs, and he offered prayers for their victims around the world. The pope made the remarks in the northern Italian city of Genoa May 18, on the eve of a major international conference on cluster munitions in Dublin, Ireland. The Vatican repeatedly has called for a ban on cluster bombs, which scatter hundreds of submunitions or bomblets over a wide area. Most casualties of these weapons are civilian, and a high percentage of those killed or maimed are children. The pope said the Dublin conference was an important event. "I hope that thanks to the responsibility of all the participants a strong and credible international instrument can be adopted," he said. Representatives from more than 100 countries are participating in the Dublin conference, which runs May 19-30.

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