Saturday, October 09, 2004
Too many nukes!
New York, Oct. 08 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican's representative at the UN has called upon the world's nations to impose strict controls on nuclear weapons and reduce worldwide military spending.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, speaking at the General Assembly on October 7, observed that military spending has reached levels close to those of the Cold War peaks. He argued that nations have spent money on weaponry that could have been devoted more profitably to "education, health, and housing." He voiced particular concern over the heavy trade in armaments in Africa.
The Italian archbishop sketched a sobering picture of world affairs, marred by "fear of terrorist attacks, fear of new wars, fear of the weakening of international laws." He argued that terrorism has shown "a clear sign of the culture of fear and of death," and condemned the "blasphemous" use of religious language to justify killing.
Lamenting the "fragility" of non-proliferation agreements, the Vatican envoy added that the fears of terrorism are compounded by the realization that terrorist groups might someday acquire weapons of mass destruction. He recommended "more vigilant" controls on existing weapons, and efforts to find a simple way to eliminate the weapons now in existence.
I was fascinated by these things for at time in my life. Luckily I'm past my kill everyone stage.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, speaking at the General Assembly on October 7, observed that military spending has reached levels close to those of the Cold War peaks. He argued that nations have spent money on weaponry that could have been devoted more profitably to "education, health, and housing." He voiced particular concern over the heavy trade in armaments in Africa.
The Italian archbishop sketched a sobering picture of world affairs, marred by "fear of terrorist attacks, fear of new wars, fear of the weakening of international laws." He argued that terrorism has shown "a clear sign of the culture of fear and of death," and condemned the "blasphemous" use of religious language to justify killing.
Lamenting the "fragility" of non-proliferation agreements, the Vatican envoy added that the fears of terrorism are compounded by the realization that terrorist groups might someday acquire weapons of mass destruction. He recommended "more vigilant" controls on existing weapons, and efforts to find a simple way to eliminate the weapons now in existence.
I was fascinated by these things for at time in my life. Luckily I'm past my kill everyone stage.
