The Holy See urges global disarmament at the UN, warning nations not to weaponize outer space or artificial intelligence technologies.
Newsroom (26/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) At the 2026 United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Wednesday, the Holy See renewed its call for global disarmament and warned the international community against the militarization of emerging domains such as outer space and artificial intelligence.
Msgr. Daniel Pacho, Undersecretary for the Holy See’s Multilateral Sector of the Secretariat of State, told delegates that humanity stood at a “critical juncture,” echoing Pope Leo XIV’s January warning that war is “back in vogue” and that “a zeal for war is spreading.” Pacho’s remarks painted a sobering picture of the erosion of diplomacy, as power politics increasingly supersede dialogue and consensus-building.
“The diplomacy of force,” he said, “is replacing the diplomacy of dialogue,” a shift that has weakened multilateral forums such as the Conference on Disarmament. Reiterating that disarmament remains a “moral imperative,” Msgr. Pacho said it is not merely a goal but “a key tool for building trust and achieving just and lasting peace.” He emphasized that true disarmament promotes “integral human development” by ensuring that weapons are never used again in aggression.
Turning to the nuclear issue, the Vatican official reaffirmed the Holy See’s long-standing opposition to nuclear weapons, describing deterrence as an irrational and dangerous doctrine that undermines trust and justice in international relations. “When the dangerous path of deterrence replaces diplomatic efforts,” Pacho warned, “humanity risks being pushed to the edge of devastation and destruction.” He urged nuclear-armed nations to engage in genuine, good-faith negotiations toward the reduction and eventual elimination of their arsenals.
Pacho’s appeal extended to the growing militarization of outer space, which he said was “already a reality.” Without urgent steps to strengthen collective trust and responsibility, he cautioned, space could soon become a theater for new forms of great power conflict. The consequences of any major confrontation beyond our planet, he warned, would be “devastating for this generation and those to come.”
To counter this threat, he invoked the principles of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, calling for its spirit to be upheld. “The exploration and use of outer space,” Pacho insisted, “must be preserved for peaceful purposes only, as the common province of all mankind.”
His address also touched on the ethical dangers of the rapid militarization of artificial intelligence. Msgr. Pacho cautioned that when lethal autonomous weapons systems are allowed to act as combatants, “the human capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making disappears.” By removing accountability and responsibility, he said, the threshold for initiating conflict drops dangerously low.
He called for immediate international action, advocating for a moratorium on the development and use of fully autonomous weapons systems to ensure that human beings remain in control of all use of force. This appeal aligns with the Vatican’s growing engagement in global discussions on the moral implications of AI and emerging warfare technologies.
In closing, Msgr. Pacho urged the Conference on Disarmament to take concrete steps to monitor how nations deploy new military technologies and to curb rising defense budgets through binding treaties. “For humanity to move towards authentic and lasting peace,” he concluded, “it is crucial that this Conference achieves concrete and lasting disarmament agreements for the common good of all peoples.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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