Holy See calls for a halt to nuclear weapons

VATICAN CITY - The Holy See "recognizes the essential role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the quest for a world free of nuclear weapons," a goal that Pope Francis says "is possible and necessary." Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, said this in his address on the first day of the 68th session of the IAEA General Conference, which is being held in Vienna from 16 to 20 September. The Holy See, Gallagher said, reiterates its "firm support for the many contributions of this Agency to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, as well as to the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology. It is essential that these technologies are always approached from a perspective that serves the common good of humanity and the integral development of every human being".

Among the International Atomic Energy Agency's contributions to progress on nuclear safety, the Holy See, Gallagher stressed, is particularly supportive of efforts "to ensure safety and security at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant" and to prevent what the Pope called a "nuclear catastrophe." Military activities linked to the war in Ukraine, "reported in the vicinity of Zaporozhye and at the Kursk nuclear power plant", are "deeply worrying" for the Holy See. The Archbishop praised IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and his inspectors "for their courage and professionalism in maintaining a continuous presence on the ground in Zaporizhzhya and providing impartial and objective reports on the situation." Furthermore, the Holy See "urges the parties to the conflict to refrain from attacks on these sites, the consequences of which could be devastating for all humanity".

The Holy See also welcomes the continued efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear programme and regrets that Tehran "stopped fulfilling its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action several years ago". In his address to the diplomatic corps in January this year, Pope Francis expressed hope for the resumption of negotiations "to ensure a more secure future for all". Negotiations that the Holy See hopes will also be revived on the issue of North Korea's nuclear programme, "which, with its continued production of nuclear weapons and missile tests, poses a serious threat to the integrity of the non-proliferation regime". For this reason, too, said the Secretary for Relations with States, the International Atomic Energy Agency's assurances are "an essential contribution to the promotion of peace and security, helping to build an atmosphere of trust instead of mutual reproach".

Archbishop Gallagher highlighted the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in the implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed and ratified by the Holy See, "to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to facilitate the dissemination of the benefits of peaceful nuclear science and technology available to developing countries." In this context, the Holy See commends the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency "to facilitate the provision of affordable radiotherapy and nuclear medicine for cancer patients" in the same countries that are "becoming increasingly crucial" to the dramatic spread of the disease.

In his address, Archbishop Gallagher also recalled that the Holy See's support for the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency is based on the magisterium of Pope Francis, for whom, as he writes in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, "the ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons becomes both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative". The Secretary for Relations with States also quoted the Pope's June 2023 message to the UN Security Council, in which he called for a decisive "no" to war, affirming that "war cannot be justified, but only peace is just: a stable and lasting peace, built not on the precarious balance of deterrence but on the fraternity that unites us". In a world in which "an accelerated arms race, fed by the escalation of wars, is taking over from disarmament efforts", Pope Francis, in his address to the diplomatic corps in January 2022, denounced "the use of atomic energy for war purposes as immoral, just as the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral".

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