Vatican’s UN envoy reiterates plea for steps to end proliferation of weapons
June 28, 2017
The Vatican’s permanent observer at UN headquarters in New York repeated the demand of the Holy See for restraints on arms trafficking, at a June 28 session of the Seucrity Council on non-proliferation.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza quoted the words of Pope Francis, saying that it is “an absurd contradiction to speak of peace, to negotiate peace, and at the same time promote or permit the arms trade.” He called for effective steps to end the massive traffic in weaponry, along with concrete measure to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
The archbishop suggested that the “establishment of weapons-of-mass-destruction free zones” might be a useful step toward the goal of non-proliferation. The eventual goal, he said, must be the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.
In the absence of steps to curb arms trafficking, the Vatican representative said, “the achievement of the much-vaunted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be seriously jeopardized, peace will continue to be dangerously in grave deficit, and human sufferings will sadly remain unabated.”
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