As Christians, we are called by Jesus to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). In the modern world, an integral aspect of this mission involves working to limit the proliferation of weapons and advance the cause of global disarmament.
In the modern world, an integral aspect of being a peacemaker involves working to limit the proliferation of weapons and advance the cause of global disarmament.
At the height of the First World War, Pope Benedict XV denounced the conflict as a “useless massacre”4.
On the centenary of its outbreak, Pope Francis spoke from amidst the graves of Italy’s largest military cemetery, warning that, “Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, and destruction.”5
Since the Holy Father spoke those words, violence has continued to spread across the world including, among many other conflicts, the catastrophic war in Tigray, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, multifaceted fighting in Yemen, the military coup in Myanmar, fresh clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, civil strife in Sudan, and the Holy Land’s most deadly period for decades.
Such conflicts are, in the words of Pope Francis, “driven by culpable human decisions.” In his message for the 2023 World Day of Peace, he urged us to think in terms of the common good and recognise the interconnectedness of political, social and environmental challenges. Our response must be “inspired by God’s infinite and merciful love” in order to build a new world of justice and peace.6
In doing so, it is important to recognise that so many acts of violence blighting our world today are only possible because of the modern weaponry available to those responsible.
In the modern world, an integral aspect of being a peacemaker involves working to limit the proliferation of weapons and advance the cause of global disarmament.
The repercussions of modern weapons also go far beyond their immediate use in conflict. Writing to UN Secretary General U Thant in 1966, Pope Paul VI highlighted how growing stockpiles of arms were poisoning international relations, stating that “every passing day shows more clearly that no stable peace can be established among men until there is effective, general, controlled armament reduction.”7
Proceeding to highlight the simultaneous depletion of resources that could be better deployed for the common good of humanity, he explained: “every passing day also establishes more painfully and dramatically the contrast between the enormous sums invested in the production of ammunitions and the immense, ever increasing material distress of more than half of mankind, which is waiting to witness the satisfaction of its most elementary needs.”8
As Christians, we are called by Jesus to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). In the modern world, an integral aspect of this mission involves working to limit the proliferation of weapons and advance the cause of global disarmament.
These challenges are relevant to the mission of the Catholic Church in England and Wales today. The UK remains one of only a handful of states to possess nuclear weapons. It is also one of the largest exporters of conventional weaponry and is at the forefront of developing new military technology that has the potential to reshape how wars are fought.
At the same time, the UK is a signatory to important international frameworks such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Arms Trade Treaty, and it retains considerable diplomatic influence, not least through its permanent position on the UN Security Council.
As Pope Francis, reminds us “disarmament treaties are more than just legal obligations. They are also moral commitments based on trust among States and among their representatives, rooted in the trust that citizens place in their governments, with ethical consequences for current and future generations of humanity.”9
Called to be Peacemakers draws upon the Catholic social teaching concerning weaponry and disarmament to set out principles for our own public witness as Christians and peacemakers. We begin by exploring the unique threat presented by nuclear weapons and the Church’s commitment to global nuclear disarmament. We then turn to address conventional weapons, which are responsible for most deaths in conflict, and the concept of General and Complete Disarmament which has been largely sidelined in international discourse during recent years. Finally, we reflect upon some of the recent developments in military technology and the new challenges that these present.
In engaging with such issues, there are many difficult questions which cannot be ignored, especially around the mechanisms for global disarmament, the legitimacy of providing weapons for countries to defend themselves against aggression, and the nature of new weaponry. We hope that the teaching reflected in this document will assist Catholics throughout England and Wales, as well as those of other faiths and all people of goodwill, in responding to the tragic situation of armed violence and the proliferation of weaponry. May it also serve to educate the conscience of Catholics in accordance with Church teaching and to deepen their discipleship as followers of Christ.
Above all, it is our intention that this document and the actions flowing from it, will contribute towards the wider work of the Church and Catholic organisations across the world to build a new culture of peace. We join in the words of Pope Francis as we pray to God: “Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarrelling into forgiveness.”10
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The Church’s call for nuclear disarmament >
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4 Pope Benedict XV, Note to the Heads of the Belligerent Peoples, 1 August 1917.
5 Pope Francis, Homily at the Military Memorial in Redipuglia, 13 September 2014.
6 Pope Francis, Message for the 56th World Day of Peace, 1 January 2023.
7 Pope Paul VI, Letter to Secretary General of the UN, 26 May 1966.
8 Ibid.
9 Pope Francis, Message of His Holiness Pope Francis to the First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapon, 21 June 2022.
10 Pope Francis, Prayer for Peace, 8 June 2014.
Regulating conventional arms and lowering military spending.
The principles of Catholic social teaching in relation to weapons remain consistent.
We have a responsibility to respond to Pope Francis’ call to counter the logic of fear and foster a climate of trust and dialogue.
