Pope: work for ban on nuclear weapons
December 09, 2014
In a message to the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, which is taking place in Vienna, Pope Francis called for the development of “concrete ways to ensure that nuclear weapons are banned once and for all, to the benefit of our common home.”
Citing the Second Vatican Council and three recent popes in his message, the Pontiff said that “the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons are predictable and planetary. While the focus is often placed on nuclear weapons’ potential for mass killing, more attention must be given to the ‘unnecessary suffering’ brought on by their use.”
He added:
Nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutually assured destruction cannot be the basis for an ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence among peoples and states. Then youth of today and tomorrow deserve far more …
Spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations. To prioritize such spending is a mistake and a misallocation of resources which would be far better invested in the areas of integral human development, education, health and the fight against extreme poverty. When these resources are squandered, the poor and the weak living on the margins of society pay the price.
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