A top Vatican diplomat has reaffirmed the Holy See’s support for
nuclear disarmament, warning that dedication to continued research into
nuclear weapons will hinder anti-proliferation efforts.
“The Holy See, which has long called for the banishment of these weapons
of mass destruction, joins in this concerted effort to give vigorous
expression to the cry of humanity to be freed from the specter of
nuclear warfare,” Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for the Holy
See’s relations with states, said.
The archbishop addressed a high-level United Nations meeting on nuclear disarmament Sept. 26 in New York City.
“We must emphasize anew that military doctrines based on nuclear arms,
as instruments of security and defense of an elite group, in a show of
power and supremacy, retard and jeopardize the process of nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation,” he said.
There are about 22,000 nuclear weapons in the world today, the United
Nations’ disarmament office says. The United States and Russia have the
world’s largest stockpiles.
The United Nations has officially supported nuclear disarmament since its first General Assembly in 1946.
Archbishop Mamberti noted that the international non-proliferation
treaty requires states to make “good faith” efforts to negotiate the
elimination of nuclear weapons, yet many nuclear powers continue to
modernize their weapons programs.
“Concern over the proliferation of nuclear weapons into other countries
rings hollow as long as the nuclear weapons states hold on to their
nuclear weapons,” he said.
The archbishop criticized the continued acceptance of “nuclear
deterrence” as a justification for the possession of nuclear weapons.
“With the end of the Cold War, the time for the acceptance of this
doctrine is long past. The Holy See does not countenance the
continuation of nuclear deterrence, since it is evident it is driving
the development of ever newer nuclear arms, thus preventing genuine
nuclear disarmament.”
He urged a global effort to provide security that is not based on nuclear deterrence.
Nuclear deterrence policy, he said, diverts human, financial and
material resources from efforts to improve health, education and social
services.
These resources also are diverted from countering threats like
poverty, climate change, and terrorism and other crimes.
These factors should make countries consider the “ethical dimension and
the moral legitimacy” of nuclear weapons production and development.
Archbishop Mamberti said nuclear disarmament efforts should counter “the
logic of fear” with “the ethic of responsibility.”
Countries should
foster “a climate of trust and sincere dialogue” that can promote “a
culture of peace” through international cooperation.