Pope Francis poses with Nobel Peace Prize laureates during an audience with attendees at a conference on building a world free of nuclear weapons, at the Vatican. Photo: CNS Vatican
The existence of nuclear weapons creates a false sense of security that holds international relations hostage and stifles peaceful coexistence, Pope Francis said.
“The threat of their use as well as their very possession is to be firmly condemned,” the Pope told participants at a conference on nuclear disarmament hosted by the Vatican.
For years, Popes and Catholic leaders said the policy of nuclear deterrence could be morally acceptable as long as real work was underway on a complete ban of the weapons. In condemning possession of the weapons, Pope Francis seemed to indicate that deterrence is no longer acceptable.
Nuclear weapons “exist in the service of a mentality of fear that affects not only the parties in conflict but the entire human race,” he said
The conference, sponsored by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, brought together 11 Nobel laureates, top officials from the United Nations and NATO and diplomats from around the world.