Since news of the horror in Paris broke, Pope Francis has been vocal over his sadness and distraught.
Speaking during Sunday Mass the Pope condemned the Paris terror attacks, calling it “blasphemy” to use the name of God to justify “violence and hatred.”
He went on to express his shock at the sheer “barbarity” of the attacks, telling crowds in St Peter’s Square:
“We wonder how can it come to the heart of man to conceive and carry out of such horrible events… the road of violence and hatred does not resolve humanity’s problems. And using the name of God to justify this road is blasphemy.”
An Italian religious TV station, TV2000, also posted an audio clip of Pope Francis – sounding distressed and tearful on Saturday – expressing his horror at the murders in Paris.
Q: Holy Father, how do you feel about the tragedy of Paris?
A: I feel deeply touched and grieved. I don’t understand. But these things are hard to understand; things done by human beings. That’s why I am deeply touched, grieved and I pray. I am very close to the beloved French people, I am close to the relatives of the victims and I pray for all of them.
Q: You spoke many times about a Third World War… in pieces.
A: Yes, this is a piece of it. There is no justification for such things…
Q: Above all, there can’t be a religious justification.
A: Neither religious, nor human. This is not human. That’s why I am close to all the people who suffer and to France, which I love so much. And thanks a lot for your call.
The Pope has used similar language to describe the current era before.
“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 in 2014.
You can find the clip of the new interview with French subtitles here .