Pope Plans New Catechism Change to Condemn Nuclear Deterrence

By Catholic Cultrue, (Catholic World News), November 26, 2019

Pope Francis announced today that he plans to change the Catechism of the Catholic Church to say that the possession of nuclear weapons— even for purposes of deterrence— is immoral.

“The use of nuclear weapons is immoral, which is why it must be added to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Pontiff told reporters during an in-flight interview as he returned from a visit to Thailand and Japan. “Not only their use, but also possessing them.”

The Pope’s remark matched a statement that he had made in Hiroshima, saying that the possession of nuclear weapons was immoral. That stand was a significant step beyond previous Church teaching, which had condemned the offensive use of nuclear weapons but left open the possibility that a country might be justified in holding nuclear weapons in order to defend against a threat posed by other nations, including hostile nations that might retain a nuclear force.

When asked by a reporter whether he was rejecting the concept of legitimate defense, the Pope did not answer directly, saying that “there are issues regarding the international equilibrium that I cannot judge right now.” ….

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