Speaking at two of the sessions of the UN General Assembly on October 14—one on disarmament, and the other on poverty—the Vatican’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Archbishop Christophe El Kassis, took aim particularly at the danger of weapons in outer space, and lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). In addition to reiterating the Vatican’s traditional commitment to disarmament, he also built on Pope Leo’s encyclical on artificial intelligence and reiterated the position of Saint John Paul II’s historic speech in 1984 on the uses of outer space. “Technological progress must always serve the human person and the common good, and must never diminish the moral responsibility that accompanies decisions over humans,” El Kassis said.

While calling for further agreements on abolishing nuclear weapons, he underlined the immediate need for maintaining the treaties that presently exist. “Until then, existing moratoria on nuclear tests must be upheld, and the verification regime must be fully supported,” he insisted.