While no one wants to see a repeat of the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the threat of nuclear arms is real. From North Korea threatening to target America to India and Pakistan flexing their nuke muscles, the red button is within reach. And so the Pontiff’s call is a call of sanity to world leaders (Pope condemns ‘crime’ of arms race,” Nov.25, Gulf Today).

Pope Francis is right in questioning and exposing the doublespeak by political leaders. “How can we propose peace, if we constantly invoke the threat of nuclear war as a legitimate recourse for the resolution of conflicts,” he asks.

Of course it is hard to believe that the world will be free of nuclear arms in the near future. But, like the Pope I want to believe that we could be free of nukes.  Moreso because of a precedent set in the past. Not many of us imagined that the Cold War era would come to an end, but it did end and Mikhail Gorbachev deserves all the credit for that. I want to believe that another leader of the stature of Gorbachev would rise up and put the nuclear arms race to an end.

The pontiff is not the first religious leader to call for deterrence. There were many before him, but his call is more urgent today, because of the advancement in nuke technology. “I ask political leaders not to forget that these weapons cannot protect us from current threats to national and international security,” he said. And he is so right.

To be in constant fear of a nuclear attack is a curse for humanity. Stockpiling of nuclear arms decreases security, wastes money and threatens life. The money that is squandered on arms could be better utilized to provide food and health facilities to millions of people suffering in the third world countries. I pray the pontiff’s plea comes true.

Carmen R
By email