Justice in Action: September 30, 2025

Peace and the Security of All Life

Peace and the Security of All Life is one of the five calls to justice identified by the North American Promoter of Justice and Care of Creation.

The work of justice today is deeply tied to the pursuit of peace, a value at the heart of Catholic Social Teaching. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict but the fruit of justice, solidarity, and respect for human dignity. The Catholic Church reminds us, through encyclicals such as Pacem in Terris and Fratelli Tutti, that true peace is built when every person is recognized as a brother or sister and when the common good is placed above selfish interests. In our society marked by violence, division, and inequality, the Church calls us to be peacemakers rooted in the Gospel message of love and reconciliation.

We hold a vital role in this mission. With our wisdom, lived faith, and long commitment to community, we can be powerful witnesses of peace. We can model Christ’s call to forgiveness and nonviolence in their families and neighborhoods. We can participate in intergenerational dialogue, sharing stories of faith, perseverance, and nonviolent change. We may also advocate for policies that reflect Catholic values, such as protecting human life, reducing gun violence, and ensuring access to healthcare and housing.

Through prayer, advocacy, and service, we embody the Beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). Our presence can remind those around us that peace is not passive—it is an active, faithful work of justice that reflects God’s dream for humanity.

Here are three organizations that we participate in to actively engage in peacebuilding:

Pax Christi USA – A Catholic movement for peace and justice that promotes nonviolence, reconciliation, and advocacy for systemic change. Seniors can participate in prayer, study, and action groups. Website: www.paxchristiusa.org

Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) – A Quaker-based advocacy group working on peace, justice, and reconciliation. Seniors can engage in letter-writing campaigns, local advocacy, and policy discussions. Website:  www.fcnl.org

The Interfaith Peace Project– Provides education and opportunities for interfaith dialogue and peacemaking, helping older adults build bridges across religious and cultural differences. Website: www.interfaithpeaceproject.org

On September 22, the Joint Appeal for the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was signed by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt. This action was taken as a result of our “Corporate Stance on Nuclear Disarmament,” adopted by the congregation on February 22, 2008. This appeal was delivered to the United Nations on September 26, 2025.

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Joint Appeal for the International Day

for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

September 26, 2025

The United Nations, which was established 80 years ago, affirmed nuclear disarmament as a top priority in its very first resolution, A/Res/1(1). In 2013, frustrated at the lack of progress, the UN declared September 26 as the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (A/Res/68/32). This international day serves to enhance public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their total elimination. Annually on September 26, the UN also holds a high-level meeting of world leaders to discuss “urgent and effective measures” to achieve global nuclear disarmament.

The designation of this date is not arbitrary: one of many times humanity has come perilously close to nuclear war was September 26, 1983, at the height of the Cold War. A nuclear war was narrowly averted when Colonel Stanislav Petrov, Duty Officer at a Russian nuclear early warning facility, broke protocol by not affirming to senior command an apparent incoming ballistic missile attack from the United States (later confirmed as a false alarm). Two years later, the countries at the brink jointly declared that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” This commitment has been reaffirmed in intervening years, including in a statement by the P-5 states in 2022 and in the Pact for the Future adopted by consensus at the UN Summit of the Future (September 2024).

However, today the risk of nuclear war by accident, miscalculation, crisis escalation, or malicious intent, is higher than ever with the Doomsday Clock ticking closer to midnight than in 1983. The use of nuclear weapons by any of the nine nuclear-armed States or their nuclear allies would have catastrophic human, economic, and environmental consequences. The use of just a small fraction of the 12,500 nuclear weapons in the stockpiles could end life as we know it. In addition, the $100 billion USD spent annually on nuclear weapons is sorely needed to support peacemaking, environmental protection, and other urgent needs of humanity and the planet, as expressed through the Sustainable Development Goals.

The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, affirmed that the threat and use of nuclear weapons is generally illegal and that there is a universal obligation for states to negotiate in good faith to achieve comprehensive nuclear disarmament. States currently relying on nuclear weapons for their security have an obligation to replace these policies with approaches based on international law and common security, as outlined in the UN Charter.

The Pact for the Future includes commitments to prevent nuclear war and achieve the global elimination of nuclear weapons. UN Member States should use the opportunity of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and UN High-Level Plenary Meeting on September 26 to announce concrete plans to achieve these goals.

We, the undersigned, therefore call on leaders, legislators, and officials at all levels of governance (local/municipal, states, countries, and regional bodies) to:

• Affirm that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible;

  
  

• Advance tangible measures by nuclear-armed and allied States to implement this obligation, including standing down nuclear forces and adopting policies never to initiate a nuclear war;

  
  

• Pledge to achieve the global elimination of nuclear weapons no later than the UN’s centennial anniversary in 2045, and immediately undertake actions, including through multilateral negotiations, to implement this pledge;

  
  

• Cut nuclear weapons budgets, and end public and private investments in the nuclear weapons industry; and

  
  

• Redirect these funds to strengthen the United Nations, advance peacekeeping and conflict resolution, accelerate steps to protect the climate, and meet human and economic needs as required under Article 26 of the UN Charter.

No time is better than 2025 – the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the establishment of the United Nations – to undertake these actions to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world to protect current and future generations.

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