At IAEA summit Holy See reiterates support for nuclear non-proliferation

By Alessandro Di Bussolo

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, gave his address on the first day of the 68th Session of the IAEA General Conference taking place from 16 to 20 September in Vienna, Austria. He said the Holy See "acknowledges the pivotal role of the IAEA in the pursuit of a nuclear-weapon-free world," which "is possible and necessary." He reiterates "unwavering support for the IAEA’s numerous contributions to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, as well as to the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. It is essential that these technologies must always be approached from a perspective that serves the common good of humanity and the integral human development of each person."

Safety of Zaporizhzhia and Kursk power plants

Among the Agency's contributions to the advancement of nuclear safety, Archbishop Gallagher noted that the Holy See especially supports efforts "to ensure safety and security at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant" to prevent a nuclear disaster. The military activities, tied to the war in Ukraine, regarding "activities in the vicinity of Zaporizhzhia and the Kursk nuclear power plants" are "deeply troubling." Archbishop Gallagher praised IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and his inspectors "for their courage and professionalism in maintaining a continuous presence on the ground in Zaporizhzhia and providing impartial and objective reports on the situation." And the Holy See "urges the parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking these sites, the consequences of which could be devastating for all humanity."

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at the 68th General Conference of the Agency

The IAEA and the Iran-North Korea nuclear dialogue

The Holy See also welcomed the IAEA's continued efforts to engage with Iran on its nuclear programme, although it noted with regret the stop in implementation of its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) several years ago. In his address to the Diplomatic Corps in January this year, Archbishop Gallagher recalled that Pope Francis expressed hopes for the resumption of negotiations to reinstate the JCPOA "to ensure a safer future for all." They are negotiations that the Holy See also hopes will be revitalised over the nuclear programme of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Also for this reason, the Secretary for Relations with States noted that the IAEA safeguards represent "an essential contribution to promoting peace and security and helping to build a climate of confidence rather than mutual recrimination."

Promoting peaceful nuclear technology

Archbishop Gallagher also highlighted the IAEA's role in implementing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed and ratified by the Holy See, "with a view to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and facilitating the dissemination of the advantages of peaceful nuclear science and technology available to developing countries." With these technologies, he recalls, one can "enhance food production, generate more electricity, water resource management, environmental monitoring and pollution control, and pandemic preparedness." The Holy See also acknowledges the IAEA's efforts "to facilitate the provision of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine available to cancer patients" in the same countries that are "becoming increasingly crucial" to the rising prevalence of this disease. The ‘Rays of Hope’ initiative is just one of the many ways "through which the Agency contributes to the good health and wellbeing of the global populations."

Goal of eliminating nuclear weapons

In his address, Archbishop Gallagher based the Holy See's support for the IAEA's efforts on the magisterium of Pope Francis, who writes in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, "the ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons becomes both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative." This is in line with the Holy See's call "for collective and joint commitment to the promotion of a culture of care, which gives primacy to human dignity and the common good." The Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations also cites the Pope's address to the UN Security Council in June 2023, in which he calls for a decisive "no" to war, and to affirm that "wars cannot be justified, but only peace is just: a stable and lasting peace, built not on the precarious balance of deterrence, but on the fraternity that unites us." In a world in which "an accelerated arms race, fueled by escalating wars is taking precedence over disarmament efforts," Pope Francis noted in his address to the Diplomatic Corps in January 2022, that "the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral."

Mass in Vienna and the "culture of care"

Regarding the building of a better world founded on a "culture of care" that overcomes and replaces "the logic of the throw-away culture," Archbishop Gallagher spoke on this theme in his homily at the Mass he presided over on Sunday 15 September on the eve of the IAEA General Conference at the Maria am Gestade Church. He said this is a world "where the logic of power, dominance and exploitation is overcome by a truly human approach, rooted in mutual respect, solidarity and universal values, such as truth, forgiveness, compassion and good faith among nations." He expressed hopes that "as fellow members of the one human family, we will strive tirelessly to seek this noble goal, especially as we begin the important work of this 68th General Conference."

Working for a better world

As Christians, he continued in his homily, we base our hope for a better world in Jesus Christ, who is not "a triumphant worldly leader" but "the suffering servant," as Isaiah portrays him in the first reading of the Sunday liturgy. Jesus is "the only one who overcame death and restored life, brings justice and peace by taking upon himself the sins and dysfunction of the whole world." Tying in with diplomatic activity, Archbishop Gallagher recalled that "we are not the saviours of the world. Nevertheless, we are called to take up the exhaustion of long, often frustrating negotiations, and find compromises to the challenging political and diplomatic issues." With often very hidden efforts, with few visible fruits, especially at a time when weapons and military might are preferred to diplomacy, he said "we should recommit ourselves to using those tools of dialogue, patience, conviction and perseverance to attain the goal desired by us all: the peaceful coexistence of the human family and the integral development of each person." May Christ, the Prince of Peace, he concluded, "help us to work together beyond our natural limits for the sake and common good of one another, and all of humanity."