Vatican diplomat expresses ‘profound concern’ about nuclear landscape

October 23, 2026

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CWN Editor's Note: A leading Vatican diplomat expressed “profound concern” about the current nuclear landscape.

“Nuclear arsenals are being modernized and expanded, and rhetoric surrounding their potential use is becoming increasingly prevalent,” Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said at a recent UN committee meeting. “Meanwhile, integrating artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies into nuclear-related systems introduces further risks by influencing the conditions under which decisions of incalculable consequence are made.”

Archbishop El-Kassis added that “these developments further expose the flawed logic of nuclear deterrence as a security model. A system that relies on the credible threat of catastrophic destruction is vulnerable to escalation and miscalculation.”

In this context, the prelate said that the Holy See “reiterates its call for a legally binding instrument establishing clear prohibitions of lethal autonomous weapons systems,” “calls for existing international commitments to be respected,” “reaffirms its support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,” and “encourages renewed efforts to prevent the militarization of outer space.”

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