Posted on 03/29/2017 3:47:18 PM PDT by ebb tide
An atmospheric nuclear test conducted by the United States at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands, on November 1, 1952. (Credit: US government file photo.)
ROME - Pope Francis has called for a collective and concerted multilateral effort to eliminate nuclear weapons, telling a United Nations conference working on a treaty to prohibit such weapons that international peace and stability cannot be based on a false sense of security, on the threat of mutual destruction or total annihilation, or on simply maintaining a balance of power.
The conference took place March 27 in New York, after the UN General Assembly voted in December to negotiate a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons, with the aim of working toward their total elimination.
Such a treaty would make explicit what is implied in the 1970 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which calls on declared nuclear powers to aim for complete nuclear disarmament.
The talks seemed doomed from the start, since every state with nuclear weapons - including the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council - boycotted the congress.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the UN, said she would love to have a ban on nuclear weapons, but in this day and time we cant honestly say we can protect our people by allowing bad actors to have them and those of us that are good trying to keep peace and safety not to have them, specifically mentioning the threat of nuclear-armed North Korea.
The pontiff answered these objections directly in a letter to the congress, noting the current unstable climate of conflict might not seem the best time to approach the demanding and forward looking goal of nuclear non-proliferation, and even nuclear disarmament.
However, the pope said nuclear deterrence is ineffective against the principal threats in the twenty-first century, mentioning in particular terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, cybersecurity, environmental problems, and poverty.
These concerns are even greater when we consider the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that would follow from any use of nuclear weapons, with devastating, indiscriminate and uncontainable effects, over time and space, Francis writes, adding we need also to ask ourselves how sustainable is a stability based on fear, when it actually increases fear and undermines relationships of trust between peoples.
The pope said the world needs to go beyond nuclear deterrence: The international community is called upon to adopt forward-looking strategies to promote the goal of peace and stability and to avoid short-sighted approaches to the problems surrounding national and international security.
Francis said the goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons becomes both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative, and a concrete approach should promote a reflection on an ethics of peace and multilateral and cooperative security that goes beyond the fear and isolationism that prevail in many debates today.
He said this reflection should involve the voices of all people, including religious communities, civil society, and international organizations.
The common destiny of mankind demands the pragmatic strengthening of dialogue and the building and consolidating of mechanisms of trust and cooperation, capable of creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons, the pope said.
The Vatican has condemned the use of nuclear weapons since even before they were developed.
Pope Pius XII, in 1943 - two years before the first successful nuclear weapons test - urged such weapons never be developed because otherwise the consequence could be catastrophic not only in itself but for the whole planet. After the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, Pius called the nuclear bomb the most terrible weapon that the human mind has ever conceived.
Making something the first time is the hard part. Once you know something is possible and more or less how to do it then there is no way to stamp it out.
It is like the "gun ban" that I run across in sci-fi novels. Not going to happen. The chemicals to make gun powder are common and available, the metal is also common and available.
All you would get would be taking safe guns out of the hands of law abiding people and putting unsafe, poorly made ones in the hands of criminals.
Same with nukes. Any country that is willing to put the work in will be able to make them. The ones that are making the most noise about it are those who are trying to get paid not to look.
Global disarmament is a big project, it’ll have to be done one small step at a time. The Pope can lead the way by dismissing the Vatican Guard and sending them home to Switzerland.
Only Our Triune God's TRUE loving mercy has kept us from suffering even greater pain worldwide so far ...
... for now ...
“Not all nukes...just the ones held by Russia,China,North Korea,Pakistan and Iran.The others serve to make large scale wars (like WWII) very,very unlikely.World history since 1945 proves that to be true.”
I Hate to remind you but the USA is the only country to use nukes against anyone!
God Bless
Noble call, However foolish for there is no way this will happen as things are now. The whole world is overrun with Evil and saying everyone will get ride of them and actually doing so are two different things and Evil feeds on Lies and Deceit.
God Bless
Let’s start with North Korea.
If the Pope is so Powerful, they he can say:
Let there be no nukes.
If that does not do it, he can stop right there.
Yup,and in so doing Truman saved the lives of a million Allied troops.Japanese soldiers and Japanese civilians.
Sane world citizens call for elimination of all communist @holes who claim the title of “Pope.”
That’s something I could get on board with (even a stopped clock) except that I don’t trust those who hate us enough to actually believe that they’d do it, even if I’d like to see it happen.
Nikki Haley is absolutely correct.
Well This Pope is certainly no JPII.
I assume that, in the absence of nuclear weapons as a potent deterrent, Pope Francis will guarantee our protection against all potential enemies, right?
And it ENDED a World War.
What do you think of that, JAFO?
And do you know what "JAFO" means?
What Frankie needs to be concerned about is pedophile and homosexual priests. Those are far more serious problems he should be focusing and is more in his province and area of concern.
You mean Pope Fransoros?
Unit 731, ever heard of it?
The Japanese had a bio and chemical arsenal at the ready to “nuke” the US. But history revisionism is so much better...
Ever wonder why the Japanese refused to condemn America while Obama was urging them when he visited Hiroshima?
For the same reasons the Japanese did not want to fall in the trap of that communist history revisioning snake who wanted them in turn to appologize to the communist Chinese for torturing Chinese in Unit 731 using them as Guinea pigs!
Unit 731 was a unknown secret until the end of the war after we nuked them, unlike the holocaust, by the way.
The Pope is a liar and perfectly knows the other side always has secrets and cheats with vast hidden arsenals. This communist is perfectly in on it and that is why he is campaigning that way as a communist spy.
This stuff always works.
Is he a Chinese sock puppet? Look for the “Made in China” tag.
JudgeAll “The Japanese had a bio and chemical arsenal at the ready to nuke the US. But history revisionism is so much better...”
“Unit 731 “
So did they use them (Bio/Chemo/Nuke) on our people or in the war against us? Obviously no one knew then about your unit 731 so even if it existed in the years claimed using them as an excuse to Kill Hundreds of thousands of innocent people is not justified. Thus it is a mute argument and was not even a consideration at the time.
NorthMountain “ And it ENDED a World War. What do you think of that, JAFO?”
So your saying the only way the war would have ended was by Nuking civilians? That’s justification for doing such Evil?
Would you change your mind if they were going to surrender but were not being give the opportunity? Or do you think the only way they could surrender, and it be acceptable, is if hundreds of thousands of civilians were Killed?
https://www.thenation.com/article/why-the-us-really-bombed-hiroshima/
Killing Unjustly is a Sin Period, The USA, USA, USA and not thinking about the wrongs we have done is not good for your Soul.
God Bless
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