The Holy See’s diplomat to the United Nations has reiterated a call to end nuclear proliferation, saying the best way to honor the late Pope Francis is to “rediscover the spirit” that created the global organization following World War II, and collaboratively strive for peace.
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See’s U.N. permanent observer, shared his thoughts in two April 29 addresses at the U.N.’s New York headquarters.
At a plenary meeting of the U.N. General Assembly convened to commemorate Pope Francis — who died April 21 — Archbishop Caccia stressed the late pontiff “recognized the fundamental importance of multilateralism, with the U.N. at its center.”
While “not afraid to highlight the need” for what he called “reform and adaptation,” the late pope was “clear” that the U.N. was necessary, Archbishop Caccia said.
He cited three key moments that demonstrated Pope Francis’ belief in the importance of the U.N. — the late pope’s Sept. 25, 2015, address to the U.N. General Assembly, delivered amid an apostolic journey to the U.S. and Cuba; a joint statement Pope Francis issued with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in 2020; and the iconic March 27, 2020, prayer of Pope Francis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic prayer in particular — in which a solitary Pope Francis prayed for the world from an empty St. Peter’s Square amid the rain — vividly illustrated global interdependence, the archbishop said. He added that Pope Francis had also warned of an “uncontained pandemic, a moral one, which he defined as ‘the globalization of indifference.’”
Such indifference, coupled with fear, has led to an increased “erosion of international peace and security, widespread political instability and a growing disregard for multilateralism and international law,” said Archbishop Caccia, speaking April 29 during the U.N. general debate on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Adopted by the U.N. in 2017, the treaty serves as a legally binding instrument toward the total elimination of nuclear weapons. To date, there are 94 state signatories and 73 states party to the treaty.
Neither the United States or Russia, which together account for approximately 88% of the world’s nuclear weapons, have adopted the treaty.
“Conflicts continue to erupt and to intensify in various regions, further exacerbating global tensions and human suffering, especially among those in the most vulnerable situations,” Archbishop Caccia said.
Currently, more than 120 conflicts are taking place throughout the world, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Among the most prominent are Russia’s war in Ukraine; the Israel-Hamas war; civil wars in Myanmar and Sudan; insurgencies in various African nations, as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan; and armed gang violence that has destabilized Haiti.
