I am pleased to extend to you. Sir. and to the representatives of nations gathered here the warm greetings of Pope Francis, while also congratulating Mr. Dennis Francis on his election as President of the Assembly. The Holy See wishes to commend him on the topic for this general debate and cannot agree more that there is an overwhelming need to start rebuilding trust in order to reignite global stability, peace and prosperity.
In recent decades, the Organization has witnessed an increase in activities on various fronts, including laudable initiatives aimed at reducing poverty, helping migrants, combating climate change, promoting nuclear disarmament and offering humanitarian aid. along with multiple others. On the other hand, in these past years, we have seen crumbling trust among nations, clear evidence of which is the increase in number and gravity of conflicts and wars. Furthermore, the current conflict in Ukraine has made all the more evident the crisis that has long affected the multilateral system, which needs a profound rethinking if it is to respond adequately to the challenges of our time. All of that has resulted in an inevitable and equally significant increase in the number of meetings held at different levels, though not always in direct proportion to the effectiveness required in pursuing the proposed goals. We witness a marked tendency of States to impose their own ideas and agenda. Pope Francis calls that “ideological colonization”.
It is necessary to return to listening and dialogue in order to solve and avoid further conflict and lessen the suffering of humankind. The international community must maintain the universality of global multilateral forums and not turn them into clubs reserved for a few elites, who think alike and where some are simply tolerated as long as they do not bother anyone. In that sense. I would highlight the following key words for effective multilateralism: dialogue, shared responsibility and cooperation, each in the pursuit of the common good and all under the banner of solidarity that comes from knowing that we are responsible for the fragility of others by seeking a common destiny. All States must rediscover a spirit of service with the intention of building a global solidarity that expresses itself concretely in helping those who suffer — a task that serves not ideas but people. Indeed, any reform of the United Nations must be based on rendering what is already existing more efficient and in line with the current era we are living in.
In that respect, the multilateral system has shifted its focus from the peaceful coexistence of States to issues that are not that relevant for that purpose, preferring issues pertinent to the lives and patterns of individuals. Thus, a real reform of the United Nations must favour a reversal of the current priorities, making the United Nations truly fit for purpose and reviving coordination among States to achieve truly common ends — in other words, going back to the basics, while restoring the healthy distinction between the actions of States and those of civil society, focusing on rebuilding healthy relations and trust among Nations.
The conflict in Ukraine has been instrumental to bringing back the elevated threat of nuclear escalation into the discussion. Once again, it is the firm conviction of the Holy See that the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is. today more than ever, a crime not only against the dignity of human beings, but against any possible future for our common home, while the mere possession itself of nuclear weapons is also immoral. In that context, there is need to instil an ambitious programme of work for the second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). including the advancement of discussions on the creation of an international trust fund to support a restorative approach to the human and environmental harms caused by nuclear use and testing. The Holy See calls on States to sign and ratify the TPNW. as well the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which together form the basis for the disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
Another important challenge that we have at hand could be defined more generally as the expanding digital galaxy we inhabit, and specifically artificial intelligence. There is an urgent need to engage in serious ethical reflection on the use and integration of supercomputer systems and processes in our daily
lives. We must be vigilant and work to ensure that the discriminatory use of those instruments does not take root at the expense of the most fragile and excluded. It is not acceptable that the decision about someone’s life and future should be entrusted to an algorithm. That is valid in all situations, including in the development of use of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).
Recently, a growing number of legal and ethical concerns have been raised, about the use of LAWS in armed conflicts. It is clear that their use should be in line with international humanitarian law. The Holy See supports the establishment of an international organization for artificial intelligence, aimed at facilitating the fullest possible exchange of scientific and technological information for peaceful uses and for the promotion of the common good and integral human development.
Moreover, the development of new technologies should go hand in hand with the care for our common home. New technologies should be used to mitigate the planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, and it is urgent that we act now to safeguard the world we live in. The international community needs to focus on a positive outcome at the forthcoming twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the United Arab Emirates, without reducing the discussions on climate change to financing issues.
This year we are marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. The significant anniversaries of those documents invite us to engage in an in-depth reflection on the foundation of human rights and respect for them in the contemporary world in order to renew commitments in favour of the defence of human dignity. In the world today, numerous forms of injustice persist; while one part of humankind lives in opulence, another part sees its own dignity denied, scorned or trampled upon, and its fundamental rights disregarded or violated. First and foremost among those are the unborn, who are denied the right to come into the world.
Let us never forget that the true litmus test to see if human rights are being protected is the degree to which people have freedom of religion or belief in a country. Disturbingly, we continue to live in a world where people are persecuted simply for professing their faith in public. There are many countries where religious freedom is severely restricted. Indeed, about one-third of the world’s population lives in that condition and the number only seems to be growing. Along with the lack of religious freedom, there is also outright religious persecution. I cannot fail to mention that one Christian in every seven is persecuted. Moreover, violence against Christians is on the increase and not only in countries where they are a minority. Even the terms “hate crime” and “hate speech” are now being used subjectively and manipulated to keep people from expressing their religious beliefs, equating the practice of religion to violence. That purposefully dishonest, politically motivated agenda, especially egregious in the West, must end.
Despite the fact that so many tragedies have struck and are still shaking the family of nations this year, amid natural disasters, severe food security problems and political instability, causing anguish, hardship and uncertainty about the future, the Russian attack on Ukraine remains one of the most painful and bleeding wounds, which instead of healing is widening and deepening. Undoubtedly, in more than 18 months of war. we have witnessed the admirable, ever-renewed commitment of so many countries to helping the battered Ukraine defend its people and its territory. Unfortunately, however, that has not been accompanied by an equal effort to find ways in which the confrontation can be overcome. We remain far from true encounter and dialogue so as to put an end to the hatred, destruction and death and open paths of peace and reconstruction. That is what the Holy See. apart from its humanitarian assistance, hopes for and seeks to promote with each of its countless appeals and initiatives, dependent on the cooperation of all international actors.
The humanitarian situation in Syria is indeed worrisome. Syrians, plagued by 12 years of war. earthquake and great poverty, are once again sounding the alarm, expressing their great hardships and demanding that a solution to their sufferings be found. The Holy See. in addition to encouraging the resumption of a political process of reconciliation, calls for humanitarian emergencies not to be weighed against the rigidities of political positions, but to have the courage to look at the suffering of the people with truth and honesty, so that the international sanctions imposed on the Syrian Government by the European
Union, the United States and the United Kingdom do not afflict the local population.
The situation in the Sudan also continues to be of great concern. Over the past six months, armed clashes have resulted in a high number of victims and displaced persons, as well as a very serious humanitarian crisis, increasingly distancing the prospect of achieving peace and restoring stability to the country. The Holy See makes a heartfelt appeal for the laying down of arms so that dialogue can prevail and the suffering of the population can be alleviated.
The Holy See closely follows political events in sub-Saharan Africa and renews its commitment to the promotion of peace, justice and prosperity. Local churches contribute to national reconciliation processes and act with a view to the common good, especially in the educational, charitable and health sectors. Of particular concern in sub-Saharan Africa have been the numerous episodes of violence, as well as the frequent coups that disrupt democratic processes, cause death and destruction, and cause humanitarian and migration crises.
It is painful to discover that, sometimes, behind episodes of terrorism and violence, there are also international economic interests that encourage the unjust dynamics of colonialism. In that regard. I appeal to the family of nations gathered here in the General Assembly to let the spirit of dialogue prevail, to cease all kinds of economic and financial exploitation, and to take care to foster generous and respectful international cooperation.
A special thought goes to Nicaragua, with which the Holy See hopes to engage in respectful diplomatic dialogue for the good of the local Church and of the entire population.
The Holy See urges dialogue and negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the support of the international cooperation, which will favour a sustainable agreement as soon as possible, thus ending the humanitarian crisis and resolving the dramatic situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. In addition. I express my condolences to the families of the victims of the explosion at a petrol station near the city of Stepanakert.
The Holy See expresses serious concern about what is happening in Jerusalem, and in particular the attacks against the Christian communities. Those episodes are not simply undermining the coexistence between the different communities, but are threatening the very identity of the city of Jerusalem, which some cannot conceive as a meeting place between the three faiths: Christianity. Judaism and Islam. I renew my appeal to the international community to ensure that Jerusalem is not forgotten, so that the project of a holy city as a place of peace for all and of all. with a special internationally guaranteed status, is not abandoned.
Today’s globalized world has brought all of us closer together, yet it has not made us any more fraternal. Indeed, we are suffering from a famine of fraternity. New ideologies, characterized by widespread individualism, egocentrism and materialistic consumerism, weaken social bonds, fuelling the throwaway mentality that leads to contempt for and abandonment of the weakest and those considered useless. In that way. human coexistence increasingly tends to resemble a mere do ut des that is both pragmatic and selfish. Yet the worst effect of this famine of fraternity is armed conflict and war. which make enemies of not only individuals but entire peoples, and whose negative consequences reverberate for generations.
With the founding of the United Nations, it seemed that the world had learned, after two terrible world wars, to move towards a more stable peace, moving towards becoming a literal family of nations. However, it seems that we are backlogging history. In order to make peace a reality, we must move away from the logic of the legitimacy of war. Peace is possible if it is truly willed; and if peace is possible, it is a duty. It is the duty of each one present in this Hall, because it is only in the research of peace and in the peaceful living between States that we can become truly united nations in a single human family.