While condemning the beheading of Coptic Christians in Libya by the Islamic State (IS), Pope Francis has reportedly argued that "military force is legitimate to stop an unjust aggressor," a report said.
Pope's statement stands in stark contrast to the Vatican's usual stance that forbids military intervention.
It came as Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's head diplomat at the United Nations, urged the UN to take action against the IS, adding that it will be up to the UN Security Council to determine the exact form of intervention necessary, reported The Daily Express.
Tomasi said, "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."
A statement, titled "'Supporting the Human Rights of Christians and Other Communities," expressed the Vatican's stance on the issue, and urged countries around the world to provide humanitarian aid to those attacked by IS.
Tomasi also encouraged the UN to take the lead in combating jihadists.
Thousands of Christians have been slaughtered by the IS in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of Syria's civil war in 2011.