Vienna, Austria, Jun 22, 2018 / 13:37 pm
After U.S. President Donald Trump called Monday for a new military branch referred to as the "space force," the Holy See has encouraged a unified, peaceful approach to space exploration.
"The Holy See wishes to stress the importance of ensuring that outer space remains peaceful and that all outer space activities and efforts protect and promote this goal," said Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, director of the Vatican Observatory.
"The potential for development through space technology is immense and that the best way to make use of this potential is through international cooperation," he said, in a June 21 statement to United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
Brother Guy is also the president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation and led the Holy See's Delegation at UNISPACE+50, a conference which took place at the Vienna International Centre in Austria from June 18-21.