Pope Francis told a Vatican symposium on nuclear disarmament Friday that nuclear weapons must be stopped because they posed a threat to humankind.
"We can only feel a keen sense of disquiet if we consider the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that derive from any use of nuclear devices," he said, as Nobel prize winner attending the event appealed for an end to nukes.
The pope stressed their "existence is functional to a logic
of fear that does not regard the parties in conflict but the
whole human race".
Francis said the existence and possible use of weapons of
mass destruction was "illogical militarily".
He underscored that "relations between states cannot be
dominated by intimidation".
The pontiff also said "effective and inclusive progress can
make possible the utopia of a world devoid of deadly instruments
of attack, despite the criticism of those who deem idealistic
the process of dismantling arsenals".
Francis received the participants in the major international
symposium on Friday.
Sponsored by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human
Development, the two-day conference on "Prospects for a World
Free of Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament" brings
together experts, activists, politicians, pastors and thought
leaders to explore the possibilities for achieving disarmament
in the 21st century, Vatican radio said.
In other remarks, the pope said that "international relations
cannot be held captive to military force, mutual intimidation,
and the parading of stockpiles of arms.
Francis stressed that "Weapons of mass destruction,
particularly nuclear weapons, create nothing but a false sense
of security.
"They cannot constitute the basis for peaceful coexistence
between members of the human family, which must rather be
inspired by an ethics of solidarity (cf. Message to the United
Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to
Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, 27 March 2017).
"Essential in this regard is the witness given by the
Hibakusha, the survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, together with other victims of nuclear arms testing.
"May their prophetic voice serve as a warning, above all for
coming generations!", the Argentinian pontiff declared.
Nobel prize winners attending the symposium appealed for an
end to nuclear weapons.
"The only way to ensure sustainable world peace and to
prevent nuclear arms spreading and being used is to ban them,"
they said.
In a statement handed to Pope Francis, they stressed the need
to "build an inclusive and fair international security system,
in which no country feels the need to resort to nuclear
weapons".
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