Pope Francis: A World Free of Nuclear Arms Is ‘Possible and Necessary’

ROME — Pope Francis railed against arms dealing Monday, insisting that “those who possess weapons will eventually use them.”

The world’s conflicts “are exacerbated by the abundance of weapons on hand and the unscrupulousness of those who make every effort to supply them,” the pope told members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See in his annual address Monday.

A stockpile of arms is no deterrent to a possible aggressor, the pontiff asserted, citing “history.”

“At times, we deceive ourselves into thinking that these weapons serve to dissuade potential aggressors,” he stated. “History and, sadly, even daily news reports, make it clear that this is not the case. Those who possess weapons will eventually use them.”

“When we yield to the logic of arms and distance ourselves from the practice of dialogue, we forget to our detriment that, even before causing victims and ruination, weapons can create nightmares,” he declared.

The pope went on to warn of two types of weapons in particular, namely autonomous weapon systems and nuclear arms.

Pope Francis: War Is Satan’s Work, ‘There Is No God of War’ https://t.co/f5GnXn5XAK pic.twitter.com/LQqNfPCNYO

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Our concerns become even more real “if we consider the availability and employment of autonomous weapon systems that can have terrible and unforeseen consequences, and should be subject to the responsibility of the international community,” he argued.

“Among the weapons humanity has produced, nuclear arms are of particular concern,” he said.

“A world free of nuclear arms is possible and necessary,” he continued, adding that the Holy See “continues steadfastly to maintain that in the twenty-first century nuclear arms are an inadequate and inappropriate means of responding to security threats, and that possession of them is immoral.”

“Their production diverts resources from integral human development and their employment not only has catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences, but also threatens the very existence of humanity,” he declared.

Francis went on to stress the importance of successful negotiations in Vienna on the nuclear accord with Iran (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) “to guarantee a more secure and fraternal world.”

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