New York: Cardinal Parolin calls for total elimination of nuclear weapons

Sculpture of St George slaying a dragon created from pieces of Soviet SS-20 and US Pershing nuclear missiles. Photo:UN Photo/Milton Grant

Source: Vatican News

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State and Head of the Delegation of the Holy See at the UN gave the following address at a high-level meeting marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

New York, 26 September 2022

Mr President,

In February, the war in Ukraine brought armed conflict back to Europe on a scale not seen for generations. The repugnant threat of the use of nuclear weapons that accompanied the conflict illustrates just how close the world has come to the abyss of nuclear war. This looming threat, with devastating implications for all humanity, demonstrates that "nuclear weapons are a costly and dangerous liability,"[1] which undermines international security.

In this context, Pope Francis insists that, "the ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons becomes both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative."[2] The actions of nuclear-weapon States, however, leave us far from achieving this goal. Through the modernization and expansion of nuclear arsenals, these States are increasing their reliance on nuclear deterrence, rather than meeting their disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Mr. President,

While expressing its deep regret regarding the lack of a consensual outcome document at the Tenth NPT Review Conference, the Holy See noted with concern that, even if the draft outcome had been adopted, the lack of meaningful new disarmament commitments in it would have brought us no closer to a world free of nuclear weapons.

Nevertheless, the nuclear disarmament regime does not lack direction. This June, the States Parties of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) adopted a Declaration and Action Plan that ensure that progress can be made on nuclear disarmament, especially in the areas of verification, victims' assistance, and environmental remediation. The Holy See reiterates its hope that, irrespective of their positions on the TPNW, States with nuclear weapons will contribute to such efforts.

States must also reinvigorate other components of the nuclear disarmament regime. This includes not only achieving the entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) but also launching negotiations on treaties on fissile material and on negative security assurances. Without tangible progress toward these ends, the regime stands at risk of eroding.

Mr President,

Achieving the total elimination of nuclear weapons requires a response that is "collective and concerted, based on mutual trust," [3] and considers the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear use. As long as nuclear weapons exist, we cannot rule out the possibility of their use, which threatens "any possible future for our common home" as well as humankind's very existence.[4]

On this Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, let us each examine how we can help create an environment conducive to reaching our shared objective.

Thank you, Mr President.

[1] Pope Francis, Message to His Excellency Ambassador Alexander Kmentt, President of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, 21 June 2022.

[2] Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, 3 October 2020, 262.

[3] Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, 3 October 2020, 262.

[4] Cf. Pope Francis, Address at the Peace Memorial, Hiroshima, November 24, 2019.