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Holy See
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
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SIGNED
20 September 2017 |
RATIFIED
20 September 2017 |
IN FORCE
22 January 2021 |
Status
The Holy See has signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It was among the original 50 states parties to the treaty when it entered into force on 22 January 2021.
Signature and ratification
Paul Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states of the Holy See, signed the TPNW at a high-level ceremony in New York when it opened for signature on 20 September 2017. He deposited the country’s instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on the same day.
Addressing the United Nations later that week, he said that the TPNW “is one more blow on the anvil toward the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.’”
The Holy See was the equal first state to ratify the TPNW. It has described its prompt action to adhere to the treaty as evidence of its “unwavering commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons”.
Paul Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states of the Holy See, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: ICAN
National position
In 2021, the Holy See welcomed the TPNW’s entry into force as a loud and clear reaffirmation of “the illegality of these immoral weapons of war”, adding that the growing number of ratifying states “is a positive indicator that one day nuclear weapons will at last be confined to the history books”.
In 2022, it described the TPNW as “a concrete example of efforts to bring about a nuclear-weapon-free world”, noting that it constitutes an “effective measure” for nuclear disarmament as required by the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968, to which the Holy See is also a state party.
On a historic visit to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2019 – which the United States destroyed with atomic bombs during World War II – Pope Francis, the sovereign of the Holy See, condemned the use and possession of nuclear weapons as “immoral”.
He also urged support for “the principal international legal instruments of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”.
Implementation
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, the Holy See submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 15 February 2021 confirming that it does not own, possess, or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other state’s nuclear weapons on its territory.
Per Article 12, the Holy See has promoted universal adherence to the TPNW. In 2019, for example, the secretary of state of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin, encouraged all signatory states “to ratify it as soon as possible”.
By signing and ratifying the TPNW, states can signal “their recognition that nuclear deterrence is not only illegal but also immoral”, the Holy See said in 2022.
During a historic visit to Hiroshima in 2019, Pope Francis urges nations to support the TPNW. Photo: Holy See
Pope Francis convenes a conference at the Vatican in 2017 with ICAN and other Nobel peace laureates. Photo: Holy See
Meetings of states parties
The Holy See participated in the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. In a statement read by his representative, Pope Francis noted: “At this particular moment in history where the world seems to be at a crossroads, the courageous vision of this legal instrument, strongly inspired by ethical and moral arguments, appears ever more timely.”
The outcomes of the first meeting of states parties, the Holy See later remarked, “ensure that progress can be made on nuclear disarmament, especially in the areas of verification, victims’ assistance, and environmental remediation”.
TPNW negotiations
The Holy See participated in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and was among 122 states that voted in favour of its adoption.
In an opening statement to the negotiating conference, Pope Francis expressed his wish that the treaty-making process may “constitute a decisive step along the road towards a world without nuclear weapons”, which is “not beyond our reach”.
In its closing statement, the Holy See said that it was “grateful to the conference for adopting this treaty”, noting that for more than 70 years it has regarded nuclear disarmament “as essential to establishing a stable and lasting peace”.
Further information
Nuclear-weapon-free state
Has joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
|
|
|
|
SIGNED
20 September 2017 |
RATIFIED
20 September 2017 |
IN FORCE
22 January 2021 |
Status
The Holy See has signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It was among the original 50 states parties to the treaty when it entered into force on 22 January 2021.
Signature and ratification
Paul Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states of the Holy See, signed the TPNW at a high-level ceremony in New York when it opened for signature on 20 September 2017. He deposited the country’s instrument of ratification with the UN secretary-general on the same day.
Addressing the United Nations later that week, he said that the TPNW “is one more blow on the anvil toward the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.’”
The Holy See was the equal first state to ratify the TPNW. It has described its prompt action to adhere to the treaty as evidence of its “unwavering commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons”.
Paul Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states of the Holy See, signs the TPNW in 2017. Photo: ICAN
National position
In 2021, the Holy See welcomed the TPNW’s entry into force as a loud and clear reaffirmation of “the illegality of these immoral weapons of war”, adding that the growing number of ratifying states “is a positive indicator that one day nuclear weapons will at last be confined to the history books”.
In 2022, it described the TPNW as “a concrete example of efforts to bring about a nuclear-weapon-free world”, noting that it constitutes an “effective measure” for nuclear disarmament as required by the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968, to which the Holy See is also a state party.
On a historic visit to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2019 – which the United States destroyed with atomic bombs during World War II – Pope Francis, the sovereign of the Holy See, condemned the use and possession of nuclear weapons as “immoral”.
He also urged support for “the principal international legal instruments of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”.
Implementation
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, the Holy See submitted a declaration to the UN secretary-general on 15 February 2021 confirming that it does not own, possess, or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other state’s nuclear weapons on its territory.
Per Article 12, the Holy See has promoted universal adherence to the TPNW. In 2019, for example, the secretary of state of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin, encouraged all signatory states “to ratify it as soon as possible”.
By signing and ratifying the TPNW, states can signal “their recognition that nuclear deterrence is not only illegal but also immoral”, the Holy See said in 2022.
During a historic visit to Hiroshima in 2019, Pope Francis urges nations to support the TPNW. Photo: Holy See
Pope Francis convenes a conference at the Vatican in 2017 with ICAN and other Nobel peace laureates. Photo: Holy See
Meetings of states parties
The Holy See participated in the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. In a statement read by his representative, Pope Francis noted: “At this particular moment in history where the world seems to be at a crossroads, the courageous vision of this legal instrument, strongly inspired by ethical and moral arguments, appears ever more timely.”
The outcomes of the first meeting of states parties, the Holy See later remarked, “ensure that progress can be made on nuclear disarmament, especially in the areas of verification, victims’ assistance, and environmental remediation”.
TPNW negotiations
The Holy See participated in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and was among 122 states that voted in favour of its adoption.
In an opening statement to the negotiating conference, Pope Francis expressed his wish that the treaty-making process may “constitute a decisive step along the road towards a world without nuclear weapons”, which is “not beyond our reach”.
In its closing statement, the Holy See said that it was “grateful to the conference for adopting this treaty”, noting that for more than 70 years it has regarded nuclear disarmament “as essential to establishing a stable and lasting peace”.
Further information
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