Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), called upon policymakers to pursue diplomatic negotiations to maintain limitations of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) ahead of its expiration on Feb. 5.
New START is the treaty between the United States and Russia that enhances U.S. national security by placing limits on Russian-deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons. The treaty was signed in 2010 by then-U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and is the last major nuclear arms control pact signed by the two nations.
“The dangers posed by current conflicts around the world, including the devastating war in Ukraine, make the forthcoming expiration of New START simply unacceptable,” Coakley said in a Feb. 3 statement.
He urged policymakers to “courageously pursue diplomatic negotiations” in order to maintain New START’s limits and open pathways toward disarmament.
“I call on people of faith and all men and women of goodwill to ardently pray that we, as an international community, may develop the courage to pursue an authentic, transformative, and lasting peace,” Coakley said.
“International policy disagreements, as serious as they are, cannot be used as excuses for diplomatic stalemates; on the contrary, they should spur us on to more vehemently pursue effective engagement and dialogue.”
“May the Prince of Peace enlighten our hearts and minds to pursue peace around the world in a spirit of universal fraternity,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV warns of ‘new global arms race’
Pope Leo XIV has also called attention to the importance of renewing the treaty. In his address to the diplomatic corps this year, the Holy Father said there is a “need to follow up on the New START Treaty” and warned that “there is a danger of returning to the race of producing ever more sophisticated new weapons, also by means of artificial intelligence.”
He also addressed the danger of a “new global arms race” at his general audience on Wednesday, Feb. 4. He urged world leaders not to allow the agreement to end without a credible and effective alternative.
“Tomorrow the New START treaty reaches its expiration,” the pope said, noting that the agreement helped contain nuclear arsenals and strengthen international security. He called for “every constructive effort in favor of disarmament and mutual trust.”
The pope stressed that the world must abandon “the logic of fear and distrust” and embrace “a shared ethic capable of guiding decisions toward the common good and making peace a heritage safeguarded by all.”
During the same audience, Pope Leo also renewed his call for prayers for the people of Ukraine who are being “harshly tested” by continued Russian bombardments.
