Karol Darmoros
Appeal on the Anniversary
The Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons issued a statement. The signatories emphasize that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons remains “a great step towards the light of peace,” even though its legal force only binds the states that have ratified it.
The Role of the Holy See
The bishops recall that the Vatican was the first state to sign and ratify the treaty in 2017, expressing its “unwavering commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons.”
Broken Commitments
The authors condemn the fact that nuclear-weapon states have not fulfilled their obligations under the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Instead of disarmament, they are implementing “modernization” programs, “designed to preserve nuclear weapons forever,” warn Japanese and American bishops.
World on the Brink
The statement points to Russia’s nuclear threats in the context of the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East as evidence of a growing threat. “Eight decades of nuclear threats is decidedly too long,” emphasize the hierarchs, referring to testimonies from museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The words of Cardinal Robert McElroy, spoken in Hiroshima, were also recalled. “We refuse to live in a world of proliferation and nuclear risk. We will resist, organize, pray, and not cease until the world’s nuclear arsenals are destroyed,” the cardinal said on the 80th anniversary of the American nuclear attack on Japan.
Light of Peace
The Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons brings together dioceses from the USA and Japan. The cooperation of the bishops reflects a growing movement within the Church that prioritizes nuclear disarmament as a pastoral and moral imperative, connecting continents and cultures. The hierarchs describe the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as “a great step towards the light of peace,” calling on world leaders to demonstrate measurable progress in disarmament.
