Geneva:The Holy See has renewed its call for global disarmament, warning that outer space and artificial intelligence must not be turned into instruments of war. Speaking at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Wednesday, Msgr. Daniel Pacho said humanity is at a critical moment as military spending rises and conflicts increase.
Msgr. Pacho, who serves as Undersecretary for the Multilateral Sector of the Secretariat of State, echoed Pope Leo XIV’s recent warning that war is again gaining acceptance and that a growing zeal for conflict threatens global peace.
He expressed concern that diplomacy rooted in force is replacing dialogue and consensus, weakening international cooperation and slowing progress toward disarmament. He described disarmament as a moral responsibility that helps ensure weapons are never used to harm others.
Disarmament, he said, is not an end in itself but a way to build trust, promote justice and secure lasting peace while supporting human development.
The Holy See also reiterated its strong opposition to nuclear weapons, describing them as an existential threat to humanity. Msgr. Pacho criticized nuclear deterrence, saying it relies on fear and the threat of force rather than justice, law and mutual trust. He warned that replacing diplomacy with deterrence risks pushing humanity and the planet toward devastation.
He urged nuclear armed nations to engage sincerely in negotiations aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating their arsenals.
Turning to outer space, Msgr. Pacho warned that it is increasingly becoming an arena of geopolitical rivalry. He said the militarization of space is already underway and could lead to weaponization unless countries take concrete steps to build trust and strengthen shared responsibility.
Any major conflict in space, he said, would have devastating consequences for both present and future generations. He stressed that space must remain reserved for peaceful purposes and continue to be treated as the common heritage of humanity, in line with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
The Holy See’s representative also warned about the growing use of artificial intelligence in warfare. He said autonomous weapons risk removing human moral judgment from decisions about the use of force, lowering the threshold for conflict and weakening accountability.
He called for humans to remain in control of all uses of force and urged a moratorium on the development and deployment of lethal autonomous weapons systems.
In closing, Msgr. Pacho encouraged the Conference on Disarmament to develop mechanisms to verify the use of emerging weapons technologies and to pursue agreements that limit arms spending and promote peace.
He said concrete and lasting disarmament agreements are essential if humanity is to move toward authentic and lasting peace for all people.