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Catholic Archbishop at UN urges immorality of nuclear weapons, and of militarising space

UN nuncio denounces nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, Oct 15, 2021by Catholic News Service, UNITED NATIONS — The world’s leaders “cannot allow” themselves to be “spectators to violence and war, to brothers killing brothers, as if we were watching games from a safe distance,” Archbishop Gabriele Caccia told a U.N. committee session discussing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction Oct. 13.

“The lives of peoples are not playthings. We cannot be indifferent onlookers,” the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations added.

The archbishop, quoting Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship,” also stressed that world leaders should never forget the people who “who have suffered the effects of atomic radiation or chemical attack

He also reiterated the pope’s assessment about the immorality not only of using, but also of possessing nuclear weapons, “since the intrinsic intentionality of having nuclear weapons is the threat to use them.”

It is time for nuclear weapon stockpiles to “be definitively capped,” he emphasized.

“Our world is so interconnected that all nuclear weapons, wherever they may be, must be eliminated in the shortest feasible time, lest accident or miscalculation lead to catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences,” he said. ……………

He also stressed the need to not lose sight of the threat of “dirty bombs” or radiological weapons and the need for measures to prohibit the use of radiological materials as weapons.

In his final remarks, he emphasized that “the Holy See wishes to state its conviction that outer space should remain the peaceful domain that it has been thus far in human history. While certain military uses of that environment have been deployed, such as communications, navigation and monitoring, these are also critical for peaceful purposes.”

He said that to weaponize space, “either by deploying weapons, or by attacking space objects from the ground, would be extremely dangerous” and urged the negotiation of measures “so that the outer space environment remains safe for all of us.”………..

The archbishop also noted the needs of island countries for help — and the urgency of listening to their appeal — in protecting their environment and ecosystems from the effects of climate change.  https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/un-nuncio-denounces-nuclear-weapons-other-weapons-mass-destruction

October 18, 2021 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, Religion and ethics, weapons and war