The Holy See reemphasizes the moral imperative of disarmament amid a significant expansion of arms budgets, and warns against the militarization of space, which should remain the “jurisdiction of all humanity.”
Devin Watkins
Ms. Daniel Pacio, Undersecretary for the Multilateral Department of the Holy See’s Department of State, reiterated the Church’s call for disarmament.
Speaking at the UN-led 2026 Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Wednesday, he recalled Pope Leo
Ms. Mr. Pacho lamented that diplomacy based on force was being replaced by dialogue and consensus-building, and said this shift was undermining multilateral discussions on disarmament, including the Conference on Disarmament.
He supported disarmament as a “moral obligation” to ensure that weapons are never again used in acts of aggression that harm others.
“Disarmament is not an end in itself,” he said. “It is an important tool for building trust and achieving just and lasting peace, and is therefore important in promoting overall human development.”
Ms. Pacio reiterated the Holy See’s opposition to nuclear proliferation and expressed concern about the “existential threat” it poses to humanity.
He said nuclear deterrence is based on the irrational belief that international relations should be based on the threat of force rather than justice, law and trust.
If the “dangerous path of deterrence” replaces all diplomatic efforts, “humankind and the entire planet risk being pushed to the brink of devastation and destruction,” he said.
In this context, Msgr. Pacho reiterated the Holy See’s call on nuclear-weapon States to negotiate in good faith to reduce and ultimately eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
Representatives of the Holy See also believe that outer space is rapidly becoming a site of conflict between great powers.
“The militarization of outer space is already a reality and will lead to its weaponization unless concrete steps are taken to build trust and strengthen collective security and accountability,” he said.
A large-scale conflict in outer space would have a devastating impact on our generation and future generations, he added.
“It is therefore vital that the exploration and use of outer space is limited to peaceful purposes only and maintained as a common ‘domain of all humanity’, in accordance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty,” he said.
Ms. Pacho then turned to the weaponization of artificial intelligence, noting that AI is increasingly dehumanizing the way wars are waged.
“When autonomous weapons ‘become’ combatants, the uniquely human capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making disappears, the burden of responsibility disappears, and the threshold for conflict becomes dangerously low,” he said.
Therefore, humans must remain in control of all uses of force, he said, calling for a moratorium on the development and use of lethal autonomous weapons systems.
In conclusion, Msgr. Pacho called on the Conference on Disarmament to explore ways to examine how countries are using emerging weapons platforms while countering the expansion of military spending due to arms limitation treaties.
“If humanity is to move towards true and lasting peace, it is vital that this Conference on Disarmament achieves concrete and lasting disarmament agreements for the common good of all peoples,” he said.
