Vatican diplomat: the poor should have access to the results of outer space’s use

November 03, 2014

At a recent UN meeting devoted to the peaceful uses of outer space, a leading Vatican diplomat said that the Holy See “rejoices in the marvelous progress of science, seeing it both as a product of the enormous God-given potential of the human mind and as manifestation of the vastness and richness of creation.”

“Our responsibility is to ensure that the fruits of these advances also benefit the poor around the world,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer at UN offices in New York. “States must work together to ensure that these benefits do not become yet another cause of increasing economic and social inequalities, but rather a shared resource for the common good of the entire global community.”

Archbishop Auza, whose remarks were made on October 17 but not released by the Holy See Press Office until November 3, also praised the knowledge of climate gained from outer space and the use of satellites in communication.

“Indeed, satellites can reach not only those places where illiteracy is a thing of the past, but also those where many still cannot read or write, especially in far-flung areas,” he said. “However, care must be taken that this outer space technology does not become an instrument of dominion and a vehicle to impose certain cultures and values on others.”

 

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Further information:

• Statement of the Holy See to the U.N. at the United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Committee, Agenda item 49: "International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space" (Holy See)