‘Mother’ should not be used to describe bomb – Pontiff

May 7, 2017 2:56 PM

The U.S. Air Force dropped one of the bombs, officially designated as the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) on suspected Islamic State fighters in eastern Afghanistan in April.

Pope Francis salutes people upon arrival in St. Peter's square at the Vatican for his weekly general audience on March 29, 2017

Pope Francis has criticized the naming of the U.S. military’s biggest non-nuclear explosive as “Mother of All Bombs”, saying the word “mother” should not be used in reference to any deadly weapon.

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The Pope said he was ashamed when he heard the name of the U.S. most destructive non- nuclear bomb, reports said.

Pope Francis told an audience of students on Saturday that: “I was ashamed when I heard the name.

“A mother gives life and this one gives death, and we call this device a mother. What is happening?”

The nickname was widely used in briefings and reporting on the attack.

Pope Francis is set to meet President Donald Trump on May 24 in a potentially awkward encounter given their opposing positions on immigration, refugees and climate change.