Holy Father Pope Francis received the participants in a major international symposium, 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 Development”. The main aim of the conference is to bring together experts, activists, politicians, pastors and thought leaders to explore the possibilities for achieving disarmament in the 21st century.
As reported by Vatican radio, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “Weapons that result in the destruction of the human race are senseless even from a tactical standpoint and for that matter, while true science is always at the service of humanity, in our time we are increasingly troubled by the misuse of certain projects originally conceived for a good cause.” Further, His Holiness added, “Suffice it to the note that nuclear technologies are now spreading, also through digital communications and that the instruments of international law have not prevented new states from joining those already in possession of nuclear weapons and the resulting scenarios are deeply disturbing if we consider the challenges of contemporary geopolitics, like terrorism or asymmetric warfare .
His Holiness concluded the message by reminding the participants that the Church does not tire of offering the world this wisdom and the actions it inspires, conscious that integral development is the beneficial path that the human family is called to travel.
