At IAEA summit Holy See reiterates support for nuclear non-proliferation

By Alessandro Di Bussolo

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, delivered his address on the first day of the 68th session of the IAEA General Conference, which runs from September 16 to 20 in Vienna, Austria. He said the Holy See “recognizes the central role of the IAEA in the pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons,” which “is possible and necessary.” He reiterated “its unwavering support for the IAEA’s many contributions to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, as well as for the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. It is essential that these technologies are always approached from a perspective that serves the common good of humanity and the integral human development of each person.”

Safety of Zaporozhye and Kursk Power Plants

Among the Agency’s contributions to the advancement of nuclear safety, Archbishop Gallagher noted that the Holy See particularly supports efforts “to ensure the safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant” to avoid a nuclear catastrophe. The military activities, linked to the war in Ukraine, concerning “activities in the vicinity of Zaporizhzhia and the Kursk nuclear power plants” are “deeply troubling.” Archbishop Gallagher praised IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and his inspectors “for their courage and professionalism in maintaining a continuous presence on the ground in Zaporizhzhia and providing impartial and objective reports on the situation.” And the Holy See “urges the parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking these sites, the consequences of which could be devastating for all humanity.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at the Agency’s 68th General Conference

The IAEA and the Iran-North Korea Nuclear Dialogue

The Holy See has also welcomed the IAEA’s continued efforts to engage with Iran on its nuclear program, although it has noted with regret the halt in the implementation of its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) several years ago. In his address to the Diplomatic Corps in January of this year, Archbishop Gallagher recalled that Pope Francis had expressed hope for a resumption of negotiations to restore the JCPOA “in order to ensure a more secure future for all.” Negotiations that the Holy See also hopes to revitalize on the nuclear program of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). It is also for this reason that the Secretary for Relations with States noted that IAEA safeguards represent “an essential contribution to the promotion of peace and security and to building a climate of trust rather than mutual recrimination.”

Promoting peaceful nuclear technology

Archbishop Gallagher also highlighted the role of the IAEA in implementing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed and ratified by the Holy See, “with a view to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and facilitating the dissemination of the benefits of peaceful nuclear science and technology available to developing countries.” With these technologies, he recalled, it is possible to “improve food production, generate more electricity, manage water resources, monitor the environment and control pollution, and prepare for pandemics.” The Holy See also recognizes the IAEA’s efforts “to facilitate the provision of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine to cancer patients” in the same countries that “are becoming increasingly crucial” for the growing prevalence of this disease.Rays of hope“This initiative is just one of the many ways in which the Agency contributes to the good health and well-being of people around the world.”

Goal of eliminating nuclear weapons

In his speech, Archbishop Gallagher based the Holy See’s support for the IAEA’s efforts on the magisterium of Pope Francis, who writes in his Encyclical Fratelli Tutti“The ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons becomes both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative,” the Holy See said, aligning itself with “the call for a collective and joint commitment to promote a culture of care, which gives primacy to human dignity and the common good.” The Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations also cites the Pope’s statement speech to the UN Security Council In June 2023, Pope Francis delivered a speech calling for a decisive “no” to war and affirming that “wars cannot be justified, but only peace is just: a stable and lasting peace, built not on the precarious balance of deterrence, but on the fraternity that unites us.” In a world where “an accelerating arms race, fueled by the escalation of wars, is taking precedence over disarmament efforts,” Pope Francis emphasized in his address to the Diplomatic Corps in January 2022 that “the use of atomic energy for war is immoral, just as the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral.”

The Mass in Vienna and the “culture of care”

Regarding building a better world based on a “culture of care” that goes beyond and replaces “the logic of the throwaway culture,” Archbishop Gallagher spoke of this theme in his homily at the Mass he presided over on Sunday, 15 September, on the eve of the IAEA General Conference at the Maria am Gestade Church. He said it is a world “where the logic of power, domination and exploitation is overcome by a truly human approach, rooted in mutual respect, solidarity and universal values, such as truth, forgiveness, compassion and good faith among nations.” He expressed the hope that “as members of the same human family, we will strive tirelessly to pursue this noble goal, particularly as we begin the important work of this 68th General Conference.”

Working for a better world

As Christians, he continued in his homily, we base our hope for a better world on Jesus Christ, who is not “a triumphant worldly leader” but “the suffering servant,” as Isaiah describes him in the first reading of the Sunday liturgy. Jesus is “the only one who has conquered death and restored life, who brings justice and peace by taking upon himself the sins and dysfunctions of the whole world.” Making the connection with diplomatic activity, Archbishop Gallagher recalled that “we are not the saviors of the world. However, we are called to take on the exhaustion of long, often frustrating negotiations and to find compromises on difficult political and diplomatic issues.” With efforts often very hidden, with few visible fruits, especially in an age when weapons and military power are preferred to diplomacy, he said that “we must recommit ourselves to using these tools of dialogue, patience, conviction and perseverance to achieve the goal we all desire: the peaceful coexistence of the human family and the integral development of each person.” May Christ, Prince of Peace, he concluded, “help us to work together beyond our natural limits for the common good of each other and of all humanity.”