AUSCP signs letter to President Biden: Avoid Nuclear War

On behalf of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP), Leadership Chair Greg Barras is joining Catholic organizations urging President Joe Biden to pursue diplomacy and dialogue to avoid nuclear war with Russia and to rid the world of nuclear weapons, according to a statement issued by the AUSCP on October 27.

“As our world confronts the existential threat of nuclear war, the Association of United States Catholic Priests is compelled by conscience to sign this letter to President Biden. It is a graced opportunity for our nation to initiate the first concrete steps toward nuclear de-escalation and disarmament,” Barras said.

The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns originated the letter, the text of which is available here. It was signed by 29 national Catholic organizations, including Pax Christi, the Franciscan Action Network, Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, and others.

Additionally, Maryknoll said “more than 400 individuals so far have completed our action alert with the same message to the president.” Barras encouraged members and friends of the AUSCP to sign on to the action alert.

The letter and action alert take on new valence in light of Pope Francis’s All Saints Day address on November 1 in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. “Peace is not achieved by conquering or defeating someone, it is never violent, it is never armed,” Francis said.

Reflecting on the Beatitudes, which he characterized as speaking of “a countercultural life, a revolutionary life,” he urged others to strive to make peace. “[P]eace must be built, and like any construction it requires effort, collaboration, patience,” he said.

Francis emphasized that the work of peacemaking begins on an individual level. “The seed of peace calls for the demilitarization of the field of the heart,” he said. Those who pursue peace may “seem out of place” in the world, since they do not subscribe to the prevailing logic of power, but “in Heaven they will be the closest to God, the most like Him.” ♦