On February 2 and 4, President of the U.S. Bishops Conference Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City and Pope Leo XIV, respectively, made an urgent mobilization to convince policymakers in the U.S. and Russia to make every effort to renew the New START Treaty.
Speaking during his Wednesday General Audience on Feb. 4, Pope Leo XIV urged that the New START Treaty, “not be allowed to lapse without seeking to ensure a concrete and effective follow-up.” The Pope stressed that the agreement represents an important step in limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the Vatican News reported.
The Pontiff continued that the current situation “demands that everything possible be done to avert a new arms race that would further threaten peace among nations.”
Urging leaders to turn to a higher viewpoint, the Pope emphasized the need to think and move beyond a logic rooted in fear and mistrust. In its place, he called for a shared ethic capable of guiding decisions toward the common good, “so that peace may become a responsibility and a heritage safeguarded by all.”
