Download Nuclear Disarmament Statement Document

In 1982 the Sisters of Divine Providence of Kentucky adopted a communal statement calling for nuclear
disarmament. In 2005, the 60th Anniversary year of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we see the
continued dangers nuclear weapons pose for people and earth. We are compelled to reiterate our public
position.
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT STATEMENT
Sisters of Divine Providence
Conscious of our call to be living witnesses of God’s Providence, we, Sisters of Divine
Providence of Kentucky, proclaim that peace is the Divine Will for Earth. We wish to
add our voice to the voices of the recent Holy Fathers, the world bishops, and other
persons of good will who condemn the nuclear warfare. As citizens of the world, we
urge all governments to work for the reduction and the elimination of nuclear arms from
Earth. As citizens of the United States, we call upon our own government to work
toward the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction, to refrain from developing a
new generation of nuclear weapons and to cooperate with global efforts to keep outer
space nuclear free.
Prayer, reflection, and study led us to understand that nuclear war is a real danger, that
spending vast sums of money on arms is a cause of much of the suffering and poverty in
the world, and that national and global security is not enhanced by nuclear weapons.
Daily we come to see more clearly that all the inhabitants of Earth are loved by God,
that no nation can claim superiority over the others, and that all people must find
cooperative and nonviolent ways of settling disputes.
As persons of hope, we know that God is at work in humanity. We, therefore, challenge
ourselves to cooperate with other concerned people to do what we can to promote
disarmament. We will continue to educate ourselves and others about the facts of
nuclear destruction and the Catholic Church’s positions on the dangers of nuclear
warfare. We will pray and do penance, allowing the God of Peace to be present on Earth
through us. We will use our talents and community resources toward the promotion of a
peaceful and just world and will do what we can to promote the creation of the
necessary world structures so that global conflict can be resolved through dialogue and
negotiations.
Realizing that personal, national, and global security is found only in God, we place
ourselves willingly in the Divine hands so that we may be instruments of peace on
Earth. We call upon other people of faith and good will to join us.
First Enactment 1982
Revised and Reaffirmed June 2005