wfn.org | Nuclear Threat Still Exists

[Sheila MESA <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release
EMBARGOED: 27 April 1998, 1830 hrs CET

NUCLEAR THREAT STILL EXISTS SAYS WCC LEADER

Nuclear disarmament has slowed to a snail's pace and nuclear weapons
remain the pillar of global defence strategies, says Rev. Dr Konrad
Raiser, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Dr Raiser made his comments on Monday evening (27 April) at the United
Nations headquarters in Geneva at a reception to welcome members of
the 1998 Preparatory Committee of the Parties to the Treaty on the
Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons which began today (27 April).  The
reception was hosted by Dr Raiser and the President of Pax Christi
International, Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium.

Reminding the delegates that immediate pressure from world public
opinion was less now than in the 1970s and 1980s when millions of
people were on the streets of major capitals pressing for an immediate
reversal of the nuclear arms race, Dr Raiser warned against
complacency. "Your task remains as difficult as ever, and it must be
undertaken with wisdom, courage, and a sense of great urgency", he
said.

"By the grace of God, the nuclear arms race has been reversed and, for
the first time since Hiroshima, nuclear weapons and delivery systems
are being destroyed.  But the nuclear threat remains.  The rhythm of
nuclear disarmament has slowed to a snail's pace.  While testing has
also been halted, nuclear arms research and development continues.
And although the major nuclear weapons powers have stepped back
cautiously from their absolute reliance on doctrines of nuclear
deterrence, nuclear weapons remain the pillar of global defence
strategies."

Dr Raiser said the WCC had consistently, in its 50-year history, called for
the total elimination of atomic and nuclear weapons.  "We know that true
security is never to be found in arms of any sort, and certainly not in
these most terrible weapons ever devised by human beings.  Nuclear
weapons are sinful, and their production, possession and deployment,
and the very threat of their use in an extreme case constitute crimes
against God and humanity."

Nuclear weapons states must work for the total abolition of nuclear
arms, added Dr Raiser, "But the responsibility is not theirs alone.  If they
do not move ahead, then other nations must take the lead, for now is the
time."

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 332, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but
works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest governing body is the
Assembly, which meets approximately every seven years.  The WCC
was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is
headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church
in Germany.

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