Abp Tomasi: Arms trafficking contributes to violence and war
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ peace initiatives continue to provoke reactions and
reflections from around the world. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Permanent Observer
of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, says, “the Holy Father has put his
finger on a real problem that is affecting the international community today.” Referring
to the Pope’s denunciation of the international arms market, Archbishop Tomasi continues,
“It is not a new problem, but it is a real one, in the sense that the legal trafficking
in arms becomes a major factor that contributes to violence and to wars.”
He
says, “the Holy Father rightly underlines the fact that this proliferation of weapons
and their illegal trafficking is sustaining the continuation of conflict, giving false
assurance to the people who own these weapons that they can continue to use force
to maintain their power without taking into account the demands of their own population
and of the international community.”
Listen to the Archbishop Silvano
Tomasi’s remarks to Vatican Radio: