New Nukes and New Risks: The Peril of Nuclear Weapons in an Unstable World

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the threat of nuclear destruction back onto the front pages and into our collective consciousness. In reality, that threat had never gone away but had been superseded in the public mind by such crises as climate change and political turmoil elsewhere.

This discussion among leading experts on nuclear weapons will gauge the risks the world faces today and, in particular, what Catholic peacemaking efforts—led by Pope Francis—can do. The event follows the recent United Nations review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the annual General Assembly of the U.N., which spotlighted the nuclear threat.

Our panel includes a former high-ranking NATO official, a diplomat from Mexico who specializes in international law, a Catholic University of America ethicist, and the Vatican’s representative to the United Nations, who will outline the contributions Pope Francis is making to the push for a non-nuclear future.

Panelists

Rose Gottemoeller is the former deputy secretary general of NATO and served nearly five years as the U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. She is currently a lecturer at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.

Maryann Cusimano Love is an associate professor of international relations at the Catholic University of America. She has written widely on the ethics of war and weaponry and advises both the U.S. government and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on foreign policy issues.

Juan Manuel Gómez-Robledo is the deputy permanent representative of Mexico to the United Nations and a member of the U.N.’s International Law Commission. He has extensive experience in disarmament issues.

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia was named by Pope Francis to serve as the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in November 2019. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milan who has served the Vatican in many diplomatic posts around the world.

David Gibson, director of Fordham’s Center on Religion and Culture, will moderate the discussion, including questions from the audience.

This event is co-sponsored by the Catholic Peacebuilding Network and the Project on Revitalizing Catholic Engagement on Nuclear Disarmament.