Pope Leo XIV urged progress in nuclear disarmament

Published at: 04/02/2026 10:27 AM

Last Tuesday, in the framework of the expiration of the New START treaty, Pope Leo XIV called for avoiding a new arms race and advancing nuclear disarmament to guarantee world peace.

The agreement was signed in 2010 by the then presidents of the United States (USA), Barack Obama and the Russian Federation, Dmitri Medvedev, and “represented a significant step in containing the proliferation of nuclear weapons,” said the leader of the Catholic Church.

“In renewing my encouragement to every constructive effort for disarmament and mutual trust, I make an urgent appeal not to let this instrument fall without trying to ensure concrete and effective follow-up,” the pontiff said at the conclusion of his general audience at the Vatican.

He also called on the great powers to “replace the logic of fear and mistrust with a shared ethic capable of orienting decisions towards the common good and making peace a heritage guarded by all”.

The New START Treaty was first extended in 2016 and then renewed in 2021 for another five years, setting a limit of 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads deployed by each party.

Mazo News Team