Pope: World Should Condemn Very Possession of Nukes

Pope Francis, in some his strongest comments ever on nuclear weapons, said on Friday that the world should condemn not only their possible use but “their very possession”.

The appeal came at the start of a two-day conference on nuclear disarmament in Vatican City that has brought together 11 Nobel Peace Prize winners, as well as United Nations and NATO officials, discussing prospects for a world free of nuclear weapons, Reuters reported.

Addressing the group, Francis spoke of “the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects of any employment of nuclear devices” and added:

“If we also take into account the risk of an accidental detonation as a result of error of any kind, the threat of their use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned.”

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters on Friday that Vatican urges world leaders to shun any unilateral action and seek dialogue to respond to the threat of nuclear weapons.

“Growing inter-dependence means that any response to the threat of nuclear weapons should be collective and consultative, based on mutual trust,” he said.

“This trust can be built only through dialogue that is truly directed to the common good and not to the protection of veiled or particular interests,” said Parolin, who ranks second only to the pope in the Vatican hierarchy.