The Vatican’s top diplomat to the United Nations says outer space must be safeguarded for peaceful purposes and for the common good of humanity. Source: NCR Online.
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s UN apostolic nuncio and permanent observer, delivered two statements on the issue on October 27 and October 30 at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Speaking on October 27, Archbishop Caccia said that while “the vastness of outer space is a realm of immense opportunity” for “cooperation and scientific discovery,” that potential also brings with it “great responsibility”.
He pointed to “disturbing trends that threaten” the peaceful use of space.
Among those, Archbishop Caccia said, are “the ongoing threat posed by space-based weaponry, including anti-satellite systems, and the accumulation of debris in low Earth orbit”, which all “represent a genuine and grave threat to international peace, security, and the long-term sustainability of space-related activities”.
According to an April 2025 assessment released by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies – a bipartisan nonprofit policy research organisation based in Washington – “space is likely becoming a more dangerous place.”
CSIS cited “widespread jamming and spoofing of GPS signals in and around conflict zones,” including those “near and in Russia and throughout the Middle East”.
Both Chinese and Russian satellites at various orbit levels are increasingly more agile in their manoeuvring, displaying capabilities applicable to “space warfighting”, CSIS said.
Archbishop Caccia lamented that “the international community has not yet achieved a consensus on an agreement to ban all types of weapons in outer space,” although “outer space has been an agenda item of the Conference on Disarmament” – the UN’s forum for disarmament and the prevention of war – “since 1985”.
He stressed that the UN’s 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which sets forth a basic framework for international space law, reminds the global community that “space is a common good to be protected for the benefit of present and future generations, rather than being exploited for the exclusive interests of private entities or nations”.
The archbishop reiterated his calls in his October 30 address, highlighting the need for the exploration and use of space to “be guided by the principles of cooperation, solidarity and peace.”
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Space must be safeguarded for the common good, says Vatican diplomat (By Gina Christian, CNS via NCR Online)
