Pope in Nagasaki urges commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons - News Video

By Vatican News

A steady rain was falling over Nagasaki as Pope Francis stood before the Peace Memorial and reaffirmed the Church’s total opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

"Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation."

The arms race, said the Pope, uses resources that are taken away from the development of peoples and the protection of the environment.

"In a world where millions of children and families live in inhumane conditions, the money that is squandered and the fortunes made through the manufacture, upgrading, maintenance, and sale of ever more destructive weapons are an affront crying out to heaven."

Making a world without nuclear weapons a reality requires “the involvement of all”, said Pope Francis.

"Convinced as I am that a world without nuclear weapons is possible and necessary, I ask political leaders not to forget that these weapons cannot protect us from current threats to national and international security. We need to ponder the catastrophic impact of their deployment, especially from a humanitarian and environmental standpoint, and reject heightening a climate of fear, mistrust, and hostility fomented by nuclear doctrines."

The Pope concluded inviting everyone to join in praying “for the triumph of a culture of life, reconciliation, and fraternity.”