The World Council of Churches (WCC) has welcomed an initiative by the South African government to propose a resolution on 'Ethical Imperatives for a Nuclear-weapons-free World for adoption at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“We are greatly encouraged that this initiative is being taken at the UN General Assembly,” said the WCC General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit, “and we see the urgent need for creating strong support to translate its ethical imperatives into concrete and conclusive action.”
According to Tveit, “this resolution is in harmony with long-standing calls from the World Council of Churches and other world religious bodies to eliminate nuclear weapons.“
The First Assembly of the WCC in 1948 denounced nuclear weapons as "a sin against God", and WCC has repeatedly reaffirmed the Christian responsibility to safeguard God's creation and protect human life from such weapons of mass destruction. “The ecumenical goal of eliminating nuclear weapons is an expression of our commitment to a pilgrimage of justice and peace”, said Tveit.
The proposed resolution would declare nuclear weapons to be “inherently immoral". In stressing the ethical responsibility of states and the need for broad cooperation, this South African-sponsored resolution is understood as adding to the momentum of the 'Humanitarian Pledge' to prohibit nuclear weapons, already supported by a majority of states. The pledge, initially proposed by the Government of Austria, offers nations a platform from which they can launch negotiations for a treaty banning nuclear weapons.
“This draft resolution clearly names the profound ethical and material dilemma which must be faced by each government that has, or relies on, nuclear weapons”, observed Peter Prove, WCC director of Commission of the Churches on International Affairs. The South African initiative addresses a tough but solvable global problem with an ethical approach which all people of faith and goodwill will appreciate and understand. We call on all members of the international community to support it.”
* The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, by the end of 2012 the WCC had 345 member churches representing more than 500 million Christians from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other traditions in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.
* World Council of Churches http://www.oikoumene.org/en
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