Nuclear weapons offer only 'false security,Vatican envoy tells UN

September 27, 2016

Nuclear weapons cannot provide genuine security, the Vatican's representative said at a UN meeting on September 26, and the drive to eliminate all nuclear arms is a "moral and humanitarian imperative."

“Peace and international stability cannot be founded on mutually assured destruction or on the threat of total annihilation,” Archbishop Bernardito Auza said. He argued that the theory of securing peace by a balance of power and deterring war by nuclear weapons is "a tragic illusion."

Archbishop Auza reminded the UN audience that the Catholic Church has consistently called for nuclear disarmament, from the time of Pope Pius XII—who warned against nuclear weapons even before they were unveiled—to that of Pope Francis. While acknowledging that complete disarmament is an ambitious goal, he said that it is the only reasonable policy to pursue. "Nuclear weapons cannot create for us a stable and secure world," he insisted.

 

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Further information:

• Holy See: Peace of nuclear deterrence "a tragic illusion" (Vatican Radio)
• Statement of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza (Holy See Mission)