2013-09-10 - Pope Francis’ peace initiatives continue to provoke reactions and reflections from around the world. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, says, “the Holy Father has put his finger on a real problem that is affecting the international community today.” Referring to the Pope’s denunciation of the international arms market, Archbishop Tomasi continues, “It is not a new problem, but it is a real one, in the sense that the legal trafficking in arms becomes a major factor that contributes to violence and to wars.”
He says, “the Holy Father rightly underlines the fact that this proliferation of weapons and their illegal trafficking is sustaining the continuation of conflict, giving false assurance to the people who own these weapons that they can continue to use force to maintain their power without taking into account the demands of their own population and of the international community.”
He says, “the Holy Father rightly underlines the fact that this proliferation of weapons and their illegal trafficking is sustaining the continuation of conflict, giving false assurance to the people who own these weapons that they can continue to use force to maintain their power without taking into account the demands of their own population and of the international community.”