Vatican, Rome. The Pope has taken issue with those who feel the word mother should be used to describe a killing device like a bomb that takes lives, the spiritual leader of millions worldwide has lamented.
Pope Francis has criticised the United States military and the public figures who discuss the military for using the word “mother” to describe a device that is used to end human lives.
The Catholic pontiff’s comments regarding the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB), the largest bomb the USA has, came during a speech he gave to an audience of students, and just weeks before he is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump in the United States to discuss American violence upon others worldwide.
“I was ashamed when I heard the name,” the pope said. “A mother gives life and this one gives death, and we call this device a mother. What is happening to our word?’ the holy father asked.
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast is a large-yield convential bomb, developed for the United States military by Albert L. Weimorts, Jr. of the Air Force Research Laboratory. At the time of development, it was touted as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal. The bomb is designed to be air delivered by a C-130 Hercules aircraft.
The first operational usage of the MOAB was during the 13 April 2017 airstrike against Islamic State of Iraq in Afghanistan to attack a series of caves with Isis insurgents in tunnels in the Achin district, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Although that was the first time that the bomb had been used by the US military, the explosive had been in the American arsenal for over a decade.
The bomb itself weighs more than 10 kilograms and has a blast radius that is a mile wide. Because it is referred to by it’s acronym instead of it’s official name, people began to refer to it as the “mother of all bombs”. Each device costs American taxpayers 16 Million dollars each-$16,000,000,000.00
This was not the first time that the pope has taken offense to Mr Trump. The two disagree on a range of subjects and Pope Francis has been critical of the American president several times. For instance, the two have diametrically opposed views on immigration and do not see eye to eye on how to respond to the ongoing refugee crisis that has stemmed from the civil war in Syria that has torn up families and communities.
The president will stop by the Vatican later this month during a trip to Europe, one of his first overseas ventures since moving into the White House.