Pope Francis angered by America's 'mother of all bombs' name

BBC News ^ | 6th May | BBC News

[Ennis85]

Pope Francis has criticised the naming of the US military's largest non-nuclear explosive ever used in combat as "the mother of all bombs".

"I was ashamed when I heard the name," the pontiff told an audience of students at the Vatican. "A mother gives life and this one gives death, and we call this device a mother. What is going on?" he asked.

Last month the US dropped such a bomb, which weighs 21,600lb (9,800kg), on Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon said it was dropped from a US aircraft in Nangarhar province, targeting tunnel complex used by IS.

The explosive is officially called the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), but is widely known as "the mother of all bombs". It was first tested in 2003, but had not been deployed in combat before. The Pope's comments come ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump on 24 May.

[chajin]

As a Lutheran, I am reaching the point that I would rather have Adrian VI than this man.

[vannrox]

“mother” of all bombs actually refers to “The mother F@@@er” of all bombs.

[Hieronymus]

LOL

[vannrox]

MOAB...

Mother
Of
All
Bombs

[Trumpnado2016]

I call him Pope Commie the 1st.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I like the official name “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” better than MOAB because it reminds of my younger days when the girls called...well...never mind.

[KarlInOhio]

From http://www.businessinsider.com/what-does-mother-of-all-bombs-mean-iraq-saddam-hussein-2017-4

The phrase originates from the Quran, which contains verses that describe Mecca as "Umm al-Qura" — the "mother of all settlements" or "mother of all cities." Arabic speakers use the phrase to describe the most important or prominent example of something in any given category.

I first read anything like it was in Dune by Frank Herbert where a huge sandstorm near the end of the book was called "the grandmother of all storms".

[piasa]

Every dead terrorist means lives saved...

[FredZarguna]

[exit82]

When you were known as having the MOAP?

[MtnClimber]

I am not disgusted by Catholics or the USA. But, I am extremely vomiting disgusted by francis and 0bama.

[TigersEye]

Fine, don’t want to hear the whining. We’ll rename it The Pope of all bombs.

[morphing libertarian]

Real popes,used to employ catchy nickname: Crusades Inquisition and so forth.

[Hieronymus]

Can you do this with Alexander VI?

[Fungi]

The popster is the reigning father of all idiots. What an abject fool of a “man.”

[Secret Agent Man]

Tear down your vatican wall, Francis.

[Impala64ssa]

Oh, really, well I'm angered at the Church's pedophile priest scandal, and how it took so long for The Vatican to step up to the plate and deal with it. To this day they may still know more than they told the authorities. How 'bout it Pope-a-Dope? Does Matthew 7:5 ring a bell?

[Secret Agent Man]

Says Francis, the Socialist Pope.

[DuncanWaring]

I believe those are two different bombs.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Hey Frankie: K.M.A.