In a high-level conference on Nuclear Weapons and Disarmament organised in the Vatican on 11-12 November 2017, Pope Francis condemned the use and possession of nuclear weapons.
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Pope Francis encouraged the 350 participants, including representatives from COMECE, to explore the connections between integral human development, peace and nuclear disarmament, in order to build a world without nuclear weapons.
Participants to the International Symposium pointed to the inadequacy of nuclear deterrence as an effective response to new security challenges of today´s multipolar world.
Nobel peace laureates, UN, NATO and European officials as well as representatives of Bishops’ conferences, civil society and students from all over the world were among the participants.
They highlighted that the enormous human and economic resources needed for the maintenance and modernisation of nuclear arsenals could be spent more efficiently to address the root causes of conflicts.
In his preliminary conclusions, H.Em. Cardinal Peter Turkson – Head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development – referred to the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and their devastating consequences for the environment.
During his address, Pope Francis stressed that “the threat of the use [of nuclear weapons], as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned”. Instead of a “mentality of fear”, the Pope encouraged to work towards “an ethics of solidarity” as well as an inclusive dialogue and “contribution of all, as individuals and as groups”.
Following the recent adoption of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the European Union declared as one of its priorities for 2018 to reinvigorate global efforts on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
COMECE acknowledge this priorisation and will continue to closely accompany this process.