Pope Francis
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
May 7, 2017
Pope Francis has criticized the naming of the U.S. military’s biggest nonnuclear explosive as “the Mother of All Bombs,” saying motherhood should not be associated with a deadly weapon.
Speaking to students at the Vatican on May 6, the Pope said he was “ashamed” when he heard the name.
“A mother gives life and this one gives death, and we call this device a mother. What is happening?” Francis asked.
The U.S. Air Force dropped such a bomb, officially called the GBU-43 bomb, on militants from the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in eastern Afghanistan last month.
The nickname was widely used in briefings and reporting on the attack.
The Pope’s criticism comes ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 24.
Based on reporting by Reuters