We must never grow weary of working to support the principal international legal instruments of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
~ Pope Francis, November 2019
Each year in January, we call on all Pax Christi USA members to celebrate the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). We are excited this year to share that four states parties (Indonesia, São Tomé and Príncipe, the Solomon Islands, and Sierra Leone) ratified the TPNW in 2024. (Pax Christi USA National Council member Josephine Garnem was especially instrumental in getting Sierra Leone to take this step.)
The nine nuclear nations, including the US and Russia, have resisted signing on; it will take unrelenting pressure from the world’s citizens to change this.
Use this link to learn more about the TPNW at the International Coalition Against Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the global campaign to stigmatize, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. ICAN works with more than 650 partners around the world, including Pax Christi, to promote adherence to and implementation of the TPNW (#nuclearbantreaty).
Prayer
As we prepare to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, Pax Christi USA offers this prayer card with a beautiful prayer written by Sr. Diane Smith, CSJ.
Nuclear destruction remains an existential threat to all creation, and the abolition of nuclear weapons has long been and continues to be a priority for Pax Christi members across the globe. In addition to the prayer, the card also includes action suggestions for individuals and groups.
The card is 3.5×5.5″, and comes shrink-wrapped in packages of 100 for $15. Click here to order from the Pax Christi USA online store.
Study
Keep learning more:
- Start a book club to read Annie Jacobson’s book “Nuclear War: A Scenario.”
- Introduce a local parish group to study Archbishop John Wester’s 2022 pastoral letter, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A conversation toward nuclear disarmament.”
- Attend a relevant webinar, such as “Reducing the Nation’s Spending for Nuclear Weapons” on January 25 sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA). Use this link to learn more and to register.
Action
Take action individually and as a group:
- On January 28, 2025, 10 AM ET, the Doomsday Clock will be reset, symbolically marking our proximity to nuclear annihilation (by military action or accident). The Doomsday Clock is now set at 90 seconds to midnight. Observe the resetting of the clock closer or back from nuclear disaster. Use this link to find more information here.
- Join the Back from the Brink (BftB) Campaign at www.preventnuclearwar.org, an initiative of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Contact your local and state legislators to request that they sign the BftB resolution.
- Keep up-to-date on the TPNW by signing up at ICANW.org for #nuclearban action alerts.
- Nuclear Ban Week will be held March 2-9, 2025 in New York City. Apply to attend sessions or follow activities online. Pax Christi USA will be represented by Mary Yelenick of Pax Christi International.