UN Disarmament Week, marked from 24-30 October, is recognised internationally as an opportunity to increase awareness around weapons control and disarmament.
Disarmament has become a central theme in the papacy of Pope Leo XIV. Pope Leo has extended the idea beyond a focus solely on weapons, reminding us to disarm our words, disarm technology, and seek an ‘unarmed peace’ through dialogue and conversation.
As UN Disarmament Week draws to a close, the lead bishops for Conflict and Peacebuilding, Bishop Nicholas Hudson and Bishop William Kenney, have issued a statement:
“This week should serve as a reminder that war and conflict are not inevitabilities, but that our political leaders have a duty to prioritise dialogue and seek peaceful solutions.
“In our 2024 document ‘Called to be Peacemakers’, we acknowledge that there is a clear human cost to our collective failure to make meaningful headway in terms of disarmament: ‘While the absolute number of people killed in conflict has declined since the end of the Second World War, armed violence is still taking place in and between dozens of countries across the world, directly resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Countless others are suffering and dying from the wider impacts of conflict including restricted access to clean water, food, healthcare and basic services.
“The call to disarm is not just for those in positions of great power. It is something that we should all seek to implement in our own lives and in our own communities. We can all disarm our words and promote dialogue. We are all invited to speak with a charitable spirit, to use our voices to welcome others, and to deepen the spirit of unity within our communities rather than to sow division.
“To quote St Paul: ‘Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.’ (Ephesians 4:29).
“We urge Catholics to stand together for peace, and to pray that our political leaders will promote dialogue leading to meaningful disarmament. Let us also pray for the grace to live out this message in our own lives, reaching out to those on the margins and choosing peace over conflict and division.”
