The Holy See’s diplomat to the United Nations says that amid a global arms race, ending the threat of nuclear war – and even the testing of nuclear weapons – is imperative. Source: Catholic Review.
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s UN permanent observer, shared his thoughts in a statement he delivered on September 4 at UN headquarters in New York, during the General Assembly High-level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, observed that same day.
“The pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons is not only a matter of strategic and vital necessity, but also a profound moral responsibility,” Archbishop Caccia said.
He pointed to the introduction of nuclear weapons – first detonated by the United States in 1945 over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing an estimated 110,000 to 210,000 people – as unveiling to the world “an unprecedented destructive force.”
“This event changed the course of history and cast a long shadow over humanity, unleashing grave consequences for both human life and creation,” Archbishop Caccia said.
“The devastating aftermath of this dramatic event led to the problematic assumption that peace and security could be maintained through the logic of nuclear deterrence – a notion that continues to challenge moral reasoning and the international conscience.”
That challenge has intensified in recent years, with more than 120 conflicts now taking place throughout the world, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by the UN in 2017, serves as a legally binding instrument towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
But while there are 94 state signatories and 73 states party to the treaty, neither the US nor Russia, which together account for approximately 88 per cent of the world’s nuclear weapons, have signed on.
The archbishop stressed the Holy See’s call to reflect on “the urgent shared responsibility to ensure that the terrible experiences of the past are not repeated”.
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Holy See tells nations at UN to end threat of nuclear weapons, even as deterrence (By Gina Christanj, OSV News via Catholic Review)
