Wethen, 22 January 2021
Church and Peace joins a wide coalition of faith-based communities around the world in welcoming the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons’ entering into force on 22 January 2021 in a joint interfaith statement.
The signatories “invite invite everyone, especially those in communities of faith, to join us in this work for peace, justice, and respect for life—against which nuclear weapons stand in complete opposition—in ways that are meaningful and authentic to your traditions and how you are inspired to participate. We urge all States to join the growing community of States which have rejected nuclear weapons and to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”.
The full statement reads:
Joint Interfaith Statement on the Entry into Force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
As a wide coalition of faith-based communities from around the world, we speak with one voice to reject the existential threat to humanity that nuclear weapons pose. We wholeheartedly welcome the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first international treaty to comprehensively ban nuclear weapons. The Treaty addresses the disproportionate impact of nuclear weapons on women and indigenous peoples and the importance of victim assistance and healing environmental harms in a groundbreaking way. We congratulate, celebrate and appreciate the countries that have ratified and signed this important Treaty, as well as all who have worked for nuclear disarmament and abolition for many decades.
As people of faith, we believe that the possession, development and threat to use nuclear weapons is immoral. There are no safe hands for these weapons. The accidental or deliberate detonation of a nuclear weapon would cause severe, long-lasting and far-reaching harm on all aspects of our lives and our environment throughout the world. Further, these technologies are part of structures and systems that bring about great suffering and destruction. We commit, therefore, to the ethical and strategic necessity of working together for economic and social justice, right relationship with the Earth, and accountability and restoration where there is violence and harm. We rejoice at the possibilities of a new world that this Treaty ushers in. At a time when the world desperately needs fresh hope, the TPNW inspires us to continue to work to fully eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons, and to create conditions for peace, justice, and well-being.
We recognize the legacy of the global hibakusha, survivors whose courage and perseverance serve as our inspiration, guidance, and moral foundation in the quest for a world free from nuclear weapons. This quest will continue until all nuclear weapons are eliminated from our planet. We invite everyone, especially those in communities of faith, to join us in this work for peace, justice, and respect for life—against which nuclear weapons stand in complete opposition—in ways that are meaningful and authentic to your traditions and how you are inspired to participate. We urge all States to join the growing community of States which have rejected nuclear weapons and to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or work toward that end by joining the First Meeting of the States Parties planned to take place this year.
At this historic moment, we must act decisively to strengthen the power of the TPNW upon its entry into force, and to work for peace, cooperation, and common security.
Find the Statement with the full list of signatories by clicking here.