New York City, N.Y., Oct 4, 2013 / 01:01 am
A top Vatican diplomat has reaffirmed the Holy See's support for nuclear disarmament, warning that dedication to continued research into nuclear weapons will hinder anti-proliferation efforts.
"The Holy See, which has long called for the banishment of these weapons of mass destruction, joins in this concerted effort to give vigorous expression to the cry of humanity to be freed from the specter of nuclear warfare," Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for the Holy See's relations with states, said.
The archbishop addressed a high-level United Nations meeting on nuclear disarmament Sept. 26 in New York City.
"We must emphasize anew that military doctrines based on nuclear arms, as instruments of security and defense of an elite group, in a show of power and supremacy, retard and jeopardize the process of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation," he said.