Addressing a meeting on international humanitarian law (IHL), a Vatican diplomat emphasized the law’s importance in wartime.
“International humanitarian law forbids hostilities conducted amidst and against civilian population. It is extremely regrettable that this still frequently occurs, also at the expense of civilian infrastructures that are essential for the survival and well-being of the population, including schools and hospitals,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, said on November 3.
The prelate said that the Holy See “reiterates the importance” of “protecting places of worship, which constitute a fundamental part of the cultural and spiritual heritage of peoples and which, alas, are ever more often destroyed, damaged, and misused.”
“Since the rapid development and increasing application of artificial intelligence in the military domain is changing the nature of the conduct of hostilities, it is essential to recall that IHL imposes obligations on States, parties to armed conflict, and individuals, not on machines or algorithms,” he added. “Therefore, responsibilities regarding the violations of IHL must not be shifted from human actors.”