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Pax Christi USA welcomes Archbishop's call for nuclear-weapons free world |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pax Christi USA welcomes the assertion of Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of Baltimore, in a speech given at the U.S. Strategic Command's (STRATCOM) Omaha headquarters, that calls for determined political leadership for the task of creating a world free of nuclear weapons.
"In Catholic teaching...the task is not to make the world safer through the threat of nuclear weapons, but rather to make the world safer from nuclear weapons through mutual and verifiable nuclear disarmament," stated Archbishop O'Brien, at a symposium convened by STRATCOM Commander General Kevin Chilton.
"This is a bold move on the part of the bishops," stated Dave Robinson, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA. "It is our hope that such clear and focused pronouncements on nuclear weapons by U.S. bishops will reenergize the U.S. Catholic Church in its quest for a nuclear weapons free world."
The Archbishop delivered his speech at STRATCOM, which oversees the operational end of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, as the concluding keynote of the first day of the "2009 Deterrence Symposium," which brought together key civilian and military leaders charged with developing and implementing U.S. nuclear weapons policy.
"This speech should be read and studied at every parish in the nation," Robinson went on to say. "After 8 years of the Bush Administration trying to make nuclear weapons suited for more 'conventional' use, we have our opening to influence the debate and make sure President Obama's stated vision of a world free of nuclear weapons becomes policy."
Robinson believes that Archbishop O'Brien's speech gives hope to anti-nuclear activists working within the Church.
"As somebody who has worked for the elimination of nuclear weapons for more than 20 years, I view the Archbishop’s address to STRATCOM as a vital contribution to the current debate over the future of U.S. nuclear weapons policy," stated Robinson.
Click here for more information on Pax Christi USA's campaign, "A New Moment for Nuclear Disarmament," including the full text of Archbishop O'Brien's speech.
Contact: Johnny Zokovitch, johnnypcusa@yahoo.com or 352-219-8419.
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