The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts have urged the ratification of a
nuclear weapons treaty between the U.S. and Russia. Eliminating such
weapons is based on a “deep commitment to preserving human life and
dignity,” they said.
In a Nov. 5 letter to Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Scott Brown
(R-Mass.), the bishops said the Catholic Church has “long been concerned
about the threat of nuclear weapons.”
They explained that the Holy See
and the U.S. bishops continue to promote the two interrelated goals of
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
They advocated the Senate’s ratification of the Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty (START), which President Barack Obama and Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev signed on April 8.
“We truly believe that this step is critical to making our world safer,” the bishops wrote.
The U.S. military leadership and nearly all past commanders of
American nuclear forces have called for the treaty to be passed,
according to the Washington Post reports.
The agreement would reduce the number of deployed long-range nuclear
warheads from 2,200 to 1,550 among both American and Russian forces. It
would also allow both countries to monitor the number and location of
each other’s nuclear weapons. These inspections ended in December when
the first START treaty expired.
President Obama has called passage of the treaty his top foreign
policy priority during the lame-duck Congressional session.
Treaties
require 67 votes to pass the Senate.
Republican electoral gains in the
2010 election will mean more bipartisan work for the president if the
START treaty is not passed this session.
SIC: CNA/USA