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Greetings!
 Greetings of peace! For far too long, a lingering impression has persisted that the Catholic Church still accepts nuclear deterrence as articulated by Pope John Paul II in the early 1980's and restated in the 1983 Peace Pastoral, The Challenge of Peace. No more! Speaking in the heartland of the United States and literally in the shadow of the new, multi-billion dollar nuclear bomb facility being constructed in Kansas City, MO, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, Apostolic Nuncio to the United Nations declared on July 1st: "Viewed from a legal, political, security and most of all - moral - perspective, there is no justification today for the continued maintenance of nuclear weapons."
The Nuncio went on to condemn the current efforts to modernize the nuclear weapons infrastructures here in the U.S. as well as the other nuclear weapons states saying that, "With development needs across the globe far outpacing the resources being devoted to address them, the thought of pouring hundreds of billions of additional dollars into the world's nuclear arsenals is nothing short of sinful. It is the grossest misplacement of priorities and truly constitutes the very 'theft from the poor' which the Second Vatican Council condemned so long ago." Pax Christi USA members have prayed, studied and acted for many years to achieve a nuclear weapons-free world and have longed for the Church to renounce its "strictly conditioned moral acceptance" of nuclear deterrence. This is it! Since the late 1990's, the Holy See has been among the leading states calling for an international treaty to outlaw nuclear weapons. With this speech, the Holy See has both renounced the doctrine of nuclear deterrence once and for all, AND articulated a clear opposition to the current efforts to modernize the world's nuclear arsenals, calling instead for their complete elimination under strict and effective international control. Pax Christi USA applauds this landmark statement and commits to continue its own work for a nuclear weapons-free world. It is now up to all of us to ensure that the Archbishop's statement is widely circulated, read and studied by local Church leaders, policymakers and fellow Catholics. In Christ's peace,
Dave Robinson
Executive Director, Pax Christi USA
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PRAY: Prayer for Nuclear Disarmament
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By Education for Justice , the Center of Concern
You have given us life, intelligence and the beauty of Creation, O Lord. Your good gifts were given so we might be stewards of all that is alive. In our arrogance, we have unleashed fearful forces that destroy. We have brought down fierce fire from the sky.
Your children have been burned, your gentle green earth scorched. Fear rules us now, not Love; we have given in to evils, lesser and greater. In your mercy, help us turn from destruction, from the bombs and barricades.
Lead us to Life again, to affirmation of all goodness and to international disarmament. With your grace, may we begin to dismantle the bombs, beat the swords into plowshares, and so transform the nuclear nightmare into the peace you have proposed. Hear our prayer, Lord, and guide us in your ways. Amen.
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STUDY: Archbishop Chullikatt's Speech
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On July 1, 2011, H.E. Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, gave a powerful speech in Kansas City, MO, USA, site of the new U.S. facility to build the non-nuclear components of nuclear warheads. The speech is titled, "The Nuclear Question: The Church's Teachings and the Current State of Affairs."
Click here to view this speech in its entirety.
This landmark document is the most far-reaching statement a representative of the Holy See has ever made on nuclear disarmament. It deserves the widest distribution.
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ACT: Get out and spread the word!
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The speech by Archbishop Chullikatt has opened a new door for us as members of Pax Christi USA to call our parishes, elected officials, and communities to deeper account for nuclear disarmament. Please, get involved and spread the message of the speech by:
- Distributing Archbishop Chullikatt's statement in your community, parish and local group.
- Sending a copy to your bishop and encouraging him to speak out against the current modernization of the nuclear weapons complex.
- Sending copies to your Senators and Representative and urging them to oppose modernization appropriations.
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