Pope Francis has criticized the “the Mother of All Bombs” label attached to the biggest American non-nuclear explosive, saying that he was “ashamed” to find out that the word “mother” was used to describe a lethal weapon.

"I was ashamed when I heard the name," the Pope said, as cited by Reuters. "A mother gives life and this one gives death, and we call this device a mother. What is happening?"

#MOAB first tested in 2003 but was never used in combat before due to fear of possible civilian casualties https://t.co/ltRyZ4plcZpic.twitter.com/meSkEOEYAk — RT (@RT_com) April 14, 2017

In mid-April, the US Air Force dropped the 21,000-pound (9,525 kg) bomb, which is officially designated as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), on a tunnel complex in the Achin district of the Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan.

READ MORE: Forget the ‘mother of all bombs,’ meet the Russian-made ‘daddy’

Read more

The bomb was used in combat for the first time in an airstrike that targeted Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) affiliates. According to Afghan authorities, 94 militants were killed in the blast, including four commanders.

Earlier, Pope Francis criticized the world community for its insensitivity to the suffering of those who bear “grievous burden of injustice and brutality.”



Ahead of Easter, he lamented that people had grown accustomed to horrific images of bombed cities and drowning migrants.

His latest comments came as the pontiff is preparing to meet with the US president Donald Trump on May 24, whom the Pope earlier blasted for his stance on immigration and refugees.