U.S. and Japanese Catholic bishops urge urgent nuclear disarmament at the U.N. NPT conference, warning of escalating threats and failing arms control efforts.
Newsroom (29/04/2026 Gaudium Press) A coalition of Catholic bishops from the United States and Japan is sounding the alarm over escalating nuclear threats, as global leaders convene at the United Nations for a key conference on nuclear non-proliferation. Their message combines urgency with deep concern, warning that decades of progress on arms control are unraveling.
In a joint statement issued April 27, archbishops from Santa Fe and Seattle joined counterparts from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to caution that the world is “sliding backwards with massive modernization programs to keep nuclear weapons forever.” The statement coincides with the opening of the Eleventh Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), held at U.N. headquarters in New York from April 27 to May 22.
The signatories include Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle, Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura of Nagasaki, Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, and Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama of Hiroshima—leaders whose dioceses carry unique historical and strategic connections to nuclear weapons. As they note, their regions encompass “the birthplace of nuclear weapons,” areas with significant U.S. nuclear deployment, and the only two cities to have suffered atomic bombings.
Their warning comes amid stark remarks from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who acknowledged that “arms control is dying.” Addressing the conference, Guterres highlighted a troubling reversal: for the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is increasing, while nuclear testing is again being considered. “The drivers of proliferation are accelerating,” he said, urging renewed commitment to the treaty.
The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 and was extended indefinitely in 1995, has long served as the cornerstone of global nuclear disarmament efforts. It rests on a fundamental bargain: non-nuclear states agree not to acquire nuclear weapons, while nuclear-armed states commit to pursuing disarmament. While the treaty has been credited with limiting proliferation—confined largely to India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea—it now faces mounting strain.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, there are currently 12,331 nuclear warheads worldwide. Russia holds an estimated 5,420, while the United States possesses about 5,042. The bishops argue that nuclear powers have failed to uphold their obligations under the treaty, particularly by refusing to engage in meaningful disarmament negotiations.
They also sharply criticize the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, calling it a justification that “deflects the blame” from maintaining what they describe as “immoral, genocidal weapons.” The continued expansion and modernization of nuclear arsenals by all nine nuclear-armed states—including China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea—raises further concerns about long-term intentions.
Drawing on Catholic teaching, the bishops point to moral guidance from recent popes. They cite Pope Francis, who declared the possession of nuclear weapons “immoral,” and reference Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 World Day of Peace message, which argued that nuclear deterrence is rooted in “fear and domination by force” rather than justice and trust. The bishops say this critique “gets into the heart of the matter.”
Despite the NPT’s historic role, the bishops express skepticism about the current review conference, noting that the previous two gatherings failed to produce concrete steps toward disarmament. “We don’t see how this one will succeed where the others have failed,” they state.
Looking ahead, they place cautious hope in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), adopted in 2017. A conference on the treaty is scheduled for November at the United Nations. The bishops highlight that the Vatican was the first state to sign and ratify the agreement and affirm their intention to support its implementation.
As geopolitical tensions intensify and nuclear policies evolve, the bishops’ message underscores a widening gap between moral advocacy and political reality—one they argue must be urgently addressed before further progress is lost.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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