In an interview with US Catholic website Crux, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi has called for a political solution to the threat facing Syria and Iraq posed by Islamic State (IS).

“What’s needed is a coordinated and well-thought-out coalition to do everything possible to achieve a political settlement without violence, but if that’s not possible, then the use of force will be necessary.”

The Vatican’s ambassador to Geneva made the comments on the same day as a statement was released, signed by more than 60 countries, calling for international support for religious and ethnic communities in the Middle East.

“We have to stop this kind of genocide. Otherwise we’ll be crying out in the future about why we didn’t so something, why we allowed such a terrible tragedy to happen. Christians, Yazidis, Shias, Sunnis, Alawites, all are human beings whose rights deserve to be protected,” said Tomasi.