From Holden:

Man, you have to be pretty damn evil to get Ratzo on your case.

Pope Benedict said in an annual peace message on Tuesday that countries have a duty to respect international humanitarian law even if they are at war.

[snip]

“The truth of peace must also let its beneficial light shine even amid the tragedy of war,” he said, re-enforcing his stand by quoting from another Vatican document that said “not everything automatically becomes permissible between hostile parties once war has regrettably commenced”.

[snip]

Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department, told reporters at the presentation of the message that the Pope’s words applied to all wars. Asked if Iraq was included, he said: “That’s correct.”

In his message, the Pope called international humanitarian law one of the finest expressions of truth.

“Precisely for this reason, respect for that law must be considered binding on all peoples,” he said.

International humanitarian law “must be brought up to date by precise norms applicable to the changing scenarios of today’s armed conflicts and the use of ever newer and more sophisticated weapons”, he added.