Give up nuclear weapons, says Pope

BY STAFF REPORTER
POPE BENEDICT XVI has encouraged the world to pursue the path of nuclear disarmament, suggesting that resources thus saved could be used to help the poor.
In an address to crowds gathered at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence south of Rome, he recalled the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Citing the second article of the agency's statutes, the Holy Father observed that among its objectives, the UN agency seeks "to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world".
"The Holy See, fully approving of the IAEA's goal, has been a member from the organisation's foundation and continues to support its activity," the Pontiff said. "The epochal changes of the last 50 years are evidence of how, in the difficult crossroads at which humanity finds itself, the commitment to encourage the nonproliferation of nuclear arms, to promote a progressive and agreed-upon nuclear disarmament, and to favour the peaceful and safe use of nuclear technology for authentic development — respectful of the environment and always attentive to the most disadvantaged populations — is always relevant and urgent."