As for the recent declarations of the President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac, who did not exclude the use of nuclear weapons in case of “terrorist acts against us”, Justice and Peace and Pax Christi from France “express their deepest anxieties”.
In an announcement made known yesterday evening, the two French organizations, recalling the message of the Pope for the World Day of Peace 2006, said that “in the second half of the 20th century, the nuclear determent contributed to the avoidance of resorting to force. Under no circumstances can force be the foundation of the peace we are trying to build up in the 20th century”.
Justice and Peace wonders “how can one be sure that the use of a nuclear weapon, even if ‘in miniature’, will not cause a certain number (always excessive) of innocent victims”. Moreover, they wonder if resorting to those weapons will not encourage countries such as Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel and maybe North Korea, to “increase their capacities…”
Finally, the two organizations, also recalling several messages by the Holy See against armaments, appeal to the responsibility of the chiefs of states and governments, who must look for “all possible means securing collective safety, together with the closest European allies. And they should also offer the United Nations the adequate means to promote peace and safety in the world, taking into account everybody’s interest”.
