Tomorrow, the world will observe the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare. The United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons observe this day to honour victims and reaffirm the commitment to a chemical weapon-free world, “thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism.
“Chemical weapons were used on a massive scale during World War I...However, chemical weapons were not used on the battleground in Europe in World War II...Adopted in 1993, the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997. It determined, “for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons.” (Preamble) (UN).
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction “aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties. States Parties, in turn, must take the steps necessary to enforce that prohibition in respect of persons (natural or legal) within their jurisdiction.
“All States Parties have agreed to chemically disarm by destroying any stockpiles of chemical weapons they may hold and any facilities which produced them, as well as any chemical weapons they abandoned on the territory of other States Parties in the past. States Parties have also agreed to create a verification regime for certain toxic chemicals and their precursors... in order to ensure that such chemicals are only used for purposes not prohibited under the Convention...Under the Convention’s ‘challenge inspection’ procedure, States Parties have committed themselves to the principle of ‘any time, anywhere’ inspections with no right of refusal.”
Pope Francis made several statements related to the elimination of chemical weapons. He condemned the use of such weapons as an “unacceptable massacre” and a violation of human dignity. He said: “There is not a good war and a bad one, and nothing, nothing can justify the use of such devices of extermination against defenceless people and populations”. He urged the international community to reaffirm its commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention and ensure these weapons are never used again. He sees the use of chemical weapons as a grave moral failing that incurs both the “judgment of God, and also the judgment of history.”
But the Catholic Church is not only concerned about chemical weapons. Pope Francis called for the non-proliferation and disarmament of all parties, starting with chemical and nuclear weapons, stating that “a world free from nuclear weapons is both necessary and possible”. He condemned both the use and possession of nuclear weapons.
In 2018, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched “Securing our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament, outlining a vision of disarmament actions that help set our world on a path towards sustainable peace and security for all.”
On May 22, 2024, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales called for General and Complete Disarmament, referring to the need to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, regulate conventional arms, lower military spending, and strengthen mechanisms for peace. They noted that “many countries are expanding their military arsenals, going “far beyond what is needed to assure legitimate defence, foment(ing) the vicious circle of a seemingly endless arms race” and detracting “potential resources from addressing poverty, inequality, injustice, education and health.” On this basis, the Holy See has called for “the resumption of a formal discussion on limitations of armaments and on general and complete disarmament, under effective systems of control and verification.
“The deployment of weaponry also has repercussions for our common home. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis emphasised that: “War always does grave harm to the environment”. Furthermore, the manufacture of weaponry generates significant carbon emissions, contributing to the wider challenge of military and conflict-related emissions, which is largely unaddressed in international environmental agreements” (www.cbcew.org.uk).
The Caribbean region is currently experiencing the largest military build-up in decades. There are real fears that counternarcotics operations could escalate into a full-scale conflict between the US and Venezuela.
In a recent statement, the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference called for dialogue and peace in the Caribbean. They stress that war or the threat of war is never the right solution and that negotiation is the path to lasting peace. Let’s remember Pope Francis’ plea, which he made to political and military leaders in 2018, to choose negotiation as “the only one that can bring peace that is not that of death and destruction”.
