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Nuclear weapons already pose a deeply concerning “existential threat” to the world says the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the UN, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero.
He told the UN committee on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons that the threat is especially dangerous today.
He highlighted the global increase in rhetoric and threats about nuclear weapons’ use, the “tense strategic environment” many countries are facing and the “ongoing modernisation and expansion of nuclear arsenals”.
He noted Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned nuclear weapons could be used if Russia faces a serious enough threat from Ukraine.
He said that in the Middle East conflict between Israel and Hamas, the possibility of nuclear weapons being deployed is a real concern.
He also noted that no-one knows if Israel has a nuclear arsenal – if so, some experts say it’s likely to be small. Israel maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity on the matter.
While Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, it is reportedly trying to develop them in nuclear facilities Balestrero added.
His views are backed by calculations from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican).
It is quoted as saying global spending on nuclear weapons hit a world record last year.
Ican reported that estimated nuclear weapons spending went up about 13 per cent to a record $91.4 billion during 2023. It attributed the increase in part to a sharp increase in US defence budgets – although all nine of the world’s nuclear-armed nations are spending more.
Technologies to deploy the weapons are also advancing.
Madly costly affront to humanity
Balestrero noted the Vatican believes possessing nuclear weapons even for deterrence is morally wrong. So is manufacturing them.
He told the UN that such actions are “an affront to humanity as a whole”.
This view is the opposite of the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) doctrine, he noted. In that doctrine the opponents have nuclear weapons they can never use as each would wipe the other out.
Balestrero told the UN a nuclear weapons-free world is “both possible and necessary”.
He suggested there are three ways to address the increase in rhetoric and spending around nuclear weapons and their use:
Make it so that non-proliferation and disarmament are seen as more than just legal obligations. Show them as “ethical responsibilities towards all members of the human family”.
Develop “sincere dialogue” aimed at reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles worldwide.
Spend the money currently invested in nuclear weapons on humanitarian projects.
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